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Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been accused of being “in hock to fringe right wingers” after teaming up with a think tank who want to close hospitals and ramp up NHS workers' hours

The top Tory is today launching a report by right wingers the Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA), calling for more automation in the Health Service.

Introducing the report, Mr Hancock is expected to say technology can “transform the way we deliver public services” and free nurses up “to do more of what they love and do so well: treating and caring for patients.”

But the TPA’s website calls for a dramatic reduction in the number of Hospitals and called for the NHS to move to an “insurance-based model.”

It also calls for NHS staff to be exempted from parts of the EU Working Time Directive, which regulates the amount of hours people can work in a week.

The report claims the health service and adult social care sector could save a combined £18.5 billion by 2030 through increased use of technology.

(Image: Getty)

But this figure is drawn from a 2018 report by the Institute for Public Policy Researcg, which suggested jobs would be lost as a result of automation.

Last year, fellow Tory George Freeman - Theresa May ’s former policy advisor - suggested it could reduce the number of jobs in the NHS by as much as 850,000.

It suggests a further £75 million of spending on drugs to treat anxiety, depression and insomnia by using secure internet chatrooms, automated virtual reality therapies and sleep-tracking apps.

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour ’s Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary, said: "From appearing in adverts for private doctor firm Babylon to promoting private dentistry we again see the Tory Health Secretary totally in hock to the fringe right wingers."

(Image: Jack Taylor)

He added: “Instead of cosying up to outfits like this who don’t believe in a universal, publicly provided taxpayer funded NHS, Mr Hancock would be better off providing the NHS with the funding and staff needed to deliver the quality of care patients deserve.”

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I love our NHS because it’s always been there for me and my family, through some of the best moments in life and some of the worst. So my number one priority is making sure it continues to always be there for every family.

"I care about technology because I care about people. To save and improve lives, technology has huge potential so long as it is properly harnessed by our health and care system. Just as importantly, it has the potential to improve the working lives of health and care staff, freeing them up to do more of what they love and do so well: treating and caring for patients.

"Automation and innovation are changing the way we live our lives, and can transform the way we deliver public services for decades to come.

"It is mission critical for all of us who love and cherish our NHS that we seize the opportunities of the future and ensure that modern technology benefits staff, benefits patients and benefits our country as a whole."