Last week the Government announced that they would listen to discussions about reforming the NHS. Yesterday the four chairs of the groups set up to organise some of the themes that need to be listened to met Dr Steve Field – the person who is co-ordinating the inputs – and DH staff.

Of course there are some who will see this as simply being an exercise to develop some cover for the Government. They would argue that the Government is hoping that the enraged NHS staff and patients of the spring of 2011 will become a quiet, passive group of people in two months from now. They will be pacified by eight weeks of persuasion by David Cameron and Nick Clegg. Then, in early June when the same plan and Bill is introduced, no one will notice.