Health officials were criticised after spending �40,000 on poetry books for their staff.

About 33,000 people working for Birmingham Health Authority have received a copy of The Gift, which has contributions from some of the UK's leading writers.

But on Wednesday, shadow health secretary Liam Fox described the move as a "waste of money".

Among the writers featured in the book are Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, Fay Wheldon, Doris Lessing and Al Kennedy.

Dr Fox said: "It is astonishing that a city, recently gripped by a bed blocking crisis so severe that patients were being driven around in ambulances because accident and emergency departments had no space, should be wasting money in this way.

'Lasting value'

"If the government claims the money had to be spent because otherwise it would go back into Treasury coffers, what does that tell us about Gordon Brown's supposed wish to see patient care improved?"

However Peter Spilsbury, director of performance and strategy at the health authority, defended the decision and claimed the book would help staff while at work.

He told BBC Radio WM: "We wanted to do something for all the people that work for the NHS in Birmingham - a small act of recognition but also, we hoped, something which might have some longer lasting value for at least some of the recipients."

He stressed money for the books had not come out of patient care budgets.

Mr Spilsbury added: "The NHS is, of course, there to make people feel better but the NHS in Birmingham employs 33,000 people and we have some responsibilities to them as well.

Book distribution

"The response that we are getting from many of the people that are reading the book is largely positive. We want to make Birmingham a good place for people to work in the NHS."

Book editor David Morley said: "This book wants to give the NHS workforce something which is serious, entertaining, permanent, meaningful and articulate."

Mr Morley said there were plans to distribute the book to all staff across the UK if a private donor came forward to meet the costs.