THE head of a world-beating healthcare team in Swindon has lashed out at Government bureaucrats for standing in the way of front-line NHS reforms.

Consultant psychiatrist Roger Bullock said Whitehall pen-pushers had blocked moves that could have helped thousands of elderly patients.

He said: "It's very frustrating. They don't want to know."

Mr Bullock, who heads a science team at Kingshill Research Centre, said the Department of Health (DoH) had turned a blind eye to plans for a shake-up of the town's dementia care.

Drawn up in 2002 by Mr Bullock, local NHS chiefs and care workers, the blueprint was designed to improve the way 2,000 elderly patients each year were looked after.

Much of the care involves voluntary groups and takes place at Swindon's Victoria Hospital.

Mr Bullock said: "We came up with a simple but effective plan that would have let patients have a big say in what treatments they had.''

North Swindon MP Michael Wills said: "I have written to ministers and asked them to look seriously at this. Unfortunately I've just had empty replies I fear they don't want to get involved with an idea because they haven't come up with it."

The Labour backbencher has now demanded the DoH answer the case in the House of Commons. There will be a debate today.

A health minister will respond to the allegations.