Jeremy Hunt defends NHS reforms as vital to seven-day care

Health secretary points to higher mortality rates at weekends and says reforms were necessary to ensure hospitals can always provide consultant-level care

Reforms to the NHS which saw the government break its promises and enforce a top-down reorganisation were necessary to provide the money needed for a seven-day health service in the future that will reduce mortality rates, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The health secretary defended the controversial shakeup of the NHS, which saw vast sections scrapped and new organisations created in the early days of the coalition, saying it had made £1.5bn in savings which will be used to ensure hospitals can open at weekends when, he admitted, people are more likely to die.

Related: Cameron pledges seven-day NHS services under future Tory government

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