Prof Kerr will open his review of NHS services on Tuesday

Oxford don, Professor David Kerr, is chair of the expert group established by the Scottish Executive to oversee reforms within the NHS.

The Glasgow-born professor is taking evidence from doctors, patients and communities to help him form a national strategy for a modern NHS in Scotland.

Health Minister Andy Kerr has promised no major decisions will be made on the NHS until the review ends in spring.

He also denied opposition accusations that the executive was trying to delay publication of the findings until after the next UK general election.

Prof Kerr launched the public consultation at a GP clinic in Leith on Tuesday.

We've been tasked with drawing up a blueprint for the health service Prof David Kerr

He plans to set up a series of public meetings in the main cities throughout December and has asked for anyone with a view to write to him as he draws up his reform proposals.

Existing plans to overhaul the Scottish health system have already caused controversy with a series of proposed hospital closures put forward by the nation's 15 health boards.

Over the past few months widespread protests have been staged from Wick to the Borders.

Some services, like major surgery, are being centralised, while others are being devolved to GPs or nurse-led clinics.

Prof Kerr said he was aware of public concerns about local health service changes.

PUBLIC MEETINGS Glasgow - December 1 Inverness - December 2 Edinburgh - December 6 Dundee - December 13 Aberdeen - December 15

"The advisory group won't be making recommendations on local service change," he said.

"Instead, we've been tasked with drawing up a blueprint for the health service that will set out shared principles for service improvement.

"We hope this will help ministers reach a view about health care can be best delivered in Scotland."

Scottish Conservative health spokesman, David Davidson, said the review would conveniently last until after a likely general election.

He added: "Despite the fact that health is devolved, this is a Machiavellian political fix from the executive who are too scared to deal with the mounting problems in our Scottish health service for fear it with affect their cronies in Westminster come May.

I would prefer that the professionals that we've enlisted to do this job for us do it in the way they think is proper and appropriate and do it to the timetables that they think are achievable Andy Kerr Health Minister

"Patients will have no choice but to wait and wonder as to where and when their operations will be, while the government postpones facing up to the findings in the Kerr Review."

The Scottish National Party's Holyrood leader, Nicola Sturgeon, said: "The suspicion must be that Labour is trying to delay publication of the report until after the UK general election. That is not acceptable."

However, the health minister said that the timing of the report was a matter for Prof Kerr's group.

"If they're suggesting the independent professionals in Prof Kerr's committee are saying 'let's do this at a different date because there might be a general election', I just think that's wrong and it insults their professionalism," he said.

"We're involved in a major exercise of what the service will look like in five, 10, 15 and 20 years.