May money can’t cure ills of the NHS
■ THE Department of Health boasts that patients continue to receive “world-class care in world-class facilities”. Yet the devastation following Carillion’s collapse shows this claim to be ludicrous (Mirror, Jan 10). Leaks, lengthy delays, huge cost overruns, multiple system failures and cancelled procedures massively affect hospitals’ ability to treat patients effectively in 14 NHS trusts.
Nobody should believe Mrs May’s claim that the Tories have “delivered real improvements for patients”. This is a lie – creeping privatisation and gross underfunding has seriously damaged performance in spite of the efforts of dedicated staff.
Her 10-year “jam tomorrow” vision for the NHS is merely an aspirational myth designed to placate voters. From delayed access to GPs through to missed hospital targets, the effects of incompetent, callous Tory health policies become more visible as each day passes. Paul Methven, Winscombe, Somerset
■ In his article, the Mirror’s Martin Bagot really exposed the scandal of Tory NHS outsourcing. When the construction giant Carillion collapsed it left struggling NHS trusts hundreds of millions out of pocket, but its CEO, Richard Howson, pocketed £6.6million in pay, bonuses and pension rewards.
He left, leaving a planned new building unfinished, Liverpool without a decent hospital and
many NHS wards looking like war zones. What an utter mess.
Eric Thorpe, Salford, Gtr Manchester
■ This disgraceful state of affairs at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and others shows the end result of this Government’s years of starving our NHS of the appropriate funding.
Committed and hard-working NHS staff are now at risk themselves because of crumbling facilities, let alone the patients in their care. Charles F Barnes, West Kirby, Wirral
■ When it was set up under Nye Bevan, the NHS was meant to care for people from the “cradle to the grave”. This has gone under the Tories. We don’t need the
accountants and management consultants who now make health policy and strategies. We need healthcare professionals, many of whom have fled the service due to the high workload and low pay.
Today we have consultants and managers who specialise and are afraid to step outside of their own fiefdoms.
WG Rees, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan
■ Why does May insist of doing things her own way rather than listening to what the doctors and nurses are saying?
And why doesn’t she give the money to the people who run the health service, rather than a load of pen-pushers?
Whenever there is an election looming the Tories start throwing money at services. Don’t listen, it’s another Tory lie.
Michael Maher Ashton-under-Lyne
Gtr Manchester
■ We had an appointment at our new hospital built by Carillion which had only been open a few weeks. The atrium was full of buckets because the roof was leaking and it had rained. Shocking!
J White, Bristol