Health secretary Wes Streeting has appointed former New Labour health minister Lord Ara Darzi to produce a "warts and all" report on the NHS ahead of the government's 10-year plan to bolster the health service.
Streeting said eminent surgeon Darzi, who was a health minister in Gordon Brown's government from June 2007 to July 2009, would deliver a "full and frank assessment" of the state of the NHS.
The health secretary said that Darzi's role would be to diagnose the NHS's problems before the government starts to "write the prescription". Darzi produced a landmark report on improving the NHS for Brown and then-health sectretary Alan Johnson in 2008.
Streeting said Darzi, who currently sits as a non-affiliated member of the House of Lords, was one of the NHS's leading experts and would deliver an "independent investigation" into its performance.
"He has more than 30 years’ experience in the NHS and is perfectly placed to conduct this important work," Streeting said in a comment piece in the Sun.
"I’ve asked Lord Darzi to tell the hard truths. The NHS and my department have been instructed to hand him whatever information he needs.
"Honesty is the best policy, and this report will provide patients, staff and myself with a full and frank assessment of the state of the NHS, warts and all. We can turn the NHS around. But before we write the prescription, we need to diagnose the problem."
Streeting said it would "take time to turn the NHS around" and "sticking-plasters will not be enough to heal it". "It will require fundamental reform," he said.
"We have pledged a 10-year plan to make the NHS fit for the future, which we will be consulting patients, experts and staff on soon," Streeting added.
"This investigation will be the survey, before we draw up plans to rebuild it anew, so it can be there for all of us when we need it, once again."