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Britain's largest union has launched a scathing attack on the Department of Health's (DoH) policy of using the private sector to improve the NHS.

Tony Blair's government has repeatedly emphasised the positive benefits of using private companies for public service provision in the education, welfare and health sectors.

A report published today by the Unison union argues that the preference is destabilising the NHS and "threatening its very survival".

The harsh market-driven environment of competitiveness private sector businesses bring has led to inefficiency, service cuts and an erosion of the collaborative spirit the NHS used to be so renowned for, the report claims.

"We are calling for time-out on the ever increasing use of the private sector in our NHS," Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said.

"Before the market gets a stranglehold on the NHS, we want a halt to privatisation and an independent review into the impact of the market on the NHS."

Liberal Democrat shadow health spokesperson Norman Lamb said that the government's extension of the role of the private sector had been introduced as part of a "rushed package of reforms"

"There is a useful role for private sector involvement in healthcare, but the emphasis must be on sharing best practice through cooperation, not competition," Mr Lamb said.

The DoH did not issue a response prior to the report's publication.