The Prime Minister rejected yesterday the idea of an independent board to run the NHS – rumoured to be high on the list of initiatives Gordon Brown plans if he takes over.

Tony Blair said in defence of the NHS reforms that a board would not be able to take the necessary tough decisions. He told a meeting at the King’s Fund in London: “We needed to introduce competition and independent providers. You are never going to get the profession to take these decisions.”

Mr Blair compared his NHS reforms with those made by Margaret Thatcher on industrial restructuring in the 1980s. Such changes were unpopular at the time, he said, but “once you are out the other side” they were seen in a different light.

He also rejected the criticism that money had been wasted. “I don’t think the money spent on the reforms is wasted,” he said. “All healthcare systems have difficulties with waste, but the question is how you drive out those inefficiencies.” The Conservatives said that Mr Blair had presided over ten wasted years. David Cameron, the Tory leader, said: “I think he should be apologising rather than boasting.”

The Department of Health refused to confirm reports yesterday that a senior job in the NHS is to be offered to an American involved in a row over the award of stock options. R. Channing Wheeler, 55, is reported to have been offered the job of commercial director.

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