Why Blair decided to take charge of NHS reform  Alan Milburn had
six months' inside knowledge about the massive spending increase
for the Department of Health - a desperate attempt by the
government to alter the terms of political debate on the future
of the national health service.  Mr Milburn knew about the
secret agreement between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, the
chancellor, which acknowledged that only a significant long-term
spending increase - the largest rise in the NHS history - would
bind suspicious NHS professionals into the process of
modernisation.  What Mr Milburn could not have known last
autumn, during the discussions, was that he would be asked to
oversee the NHS modernisation strategy, or that the prime
minister would take charge of the reform programme.  Yesterday,
Downing Street made clear that Mr Blair would now personally
lead the "no strings dialogue" with NHS professionals until next
July when ministers set out detailed targets for faster delivery
of the service.  "It will be [Blair's]