THOUGH the effort will be far from valueless, it is hard to comprehend the necessity for the massive consultation exercise being launched tomorrow by the Prime Minister to find ways of improving the NHS.

After all, the brief summarising people's expectations of the health service -- that of quick and easy access to treatment -- has already been precisely expressed by Health Minister Alan Milburn in today's overture for what is reported to be the largest public consultation project undertaken by any modern government.

Involving millions of people and the NHS's one million staff to determine this already-obvious conclusion seems to be a hugely superfluous undertaking.

For though, clearly, the government will be on the receiving end of a deluge of ideas -- many of which may be useful -- on how this simple expectation is to be fulfilled, it is not as if the blueprints for reform do not already exist.

We have already seen the wherewithal delivered -- in the form of the Budget announcement of £20billion extra spending for the NHS over the next four years, putting the government on track to bringing UK health expenditure up to European average.

We also saw this move coupled with Tony Blair himself taking personal charge of NHS reform. Also already in place are the six action teams set up by Mr Milburn to engineer the changes -- made up of top medical experts, front-line NHS staff and patients.

And raft of key proposals is mapped out even now -- with changes ranging from doctors and nurses training together and GPs' surgeries being open at weekends to more drugs being available off prescription and NHS Direct computer kiosks being available in places like shopping centres and libraries.

The government may well be sensitive to the public's priorities in targeting health -- it ranks top with education among the voters' key concerns -- but in embarking on this consultation with so much of reforms manifestly under way, it seems to be dosing the electorate with a good deal of Labour-loves-the -NHS spin, evidently with the looming general election in mind.

Cynics would diagnose a case of window dressing and serious overkill.