HEALTH charities have written to Oxfordshire’s Liberal Democrats, urging them to pressure their party’s MPs to block Government health reforms.

Representatives of muscular dystrophy, learning difficulties, autism and diabetes charities are among those who signed a letter arguing the coalition Government’s Health and Social Care Bill will lead to “permanent damage to the NHS and serious consequences for patients”.

Under the plans, GPs would decide how to spend £80bn on commissioning care for their patients, while primary care trusts and strategic health authorities are abolished.

The Government says the reforms will give more power to patients and improve care by introducing competition, but called a halt to the legislation’s passage through Parliament in April following widespread opposition.

The letter’s signatories believe grassroots Liberal Democrats now have the power to block the Bill if they lobby the party’s MPs.

Mahmood Bhutta, an ear, nose and throat surgeon at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital, said: “The core principles of the NHS are being demolished. We are turning healthcare into a business.”

Mr Bhutta, who co-founded the British Medical Association’s Medical Fair and Ethical Trade Group, added: “Patients and doctors have been tremendously fortunate in the UK in that whatever treatment is suggested by the doctor is not clouded by any motive for monetary gain.”

Katherine Wedell, from Marston, whose son Isaac, seven, has the muscle-wasting disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy, said she had spent hours examining the legislation.

She said: “The proposals as they stand will spell disaster for people with any rare and complex condition, including my son.

“(Health Secretary) Andrew Lansley wants to encourage competition between providers, but Isaac’s care needs service from 11 health professionals and it is crucial to have an integrated team that needs collaboration, not competition.”

Ms Wedell said she feared Isaac’s condition was so expensive to treat that GPs would not take on his care, for fear of using too much of their budget commissioning health services for him at the expense of their other patients.

She added: “Everybody that I have spoken to is extremely concerned about this Bill and is doing everything they can to reverse it.”

The other signatories of the letter are Stuart White of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign and South Central Muscle Group, Bryan Mitchell of learning difficulties charity My Life My Choice, Liz Peretz of Keep Our NHS public, Kathy Erangey of Autism Oxford, Manishta Sunnia of Oxford Save Our Services and Gwyn Huish of the Oxford group of Diabetes UK.