Cure-allfornhs

The National Health Service was set up in 1947. It has been growing uncontrollably for the past 70 years. It will come as no surprise to any gardener that the seedling that was planted by a Labour government after the Second World War has grown into a monster and is overdue some serious pruning.

The report by Audit Scotland published last week shows that the problem is serious and Nicola Sturgeon did not show any vision or deter-

mination to tackle the problem during First Minister’s Questions on Thursday.

NHS Scotland’s function is to admit patients to its various facilities, to treat the patients and to discharge the treated patient back into the community. In 2017, NHS Scotland is failing to fulfil its mission.

Drastic action is necessary. Any aspect of the NHS that does not contribute to patient care should be eliminated.

Roughly one-third of the budget of NHS Scotland is for administrators. These folk push paper, which does little to contribute to patient treatment.

Fire the administrators. Use the money released to double the salaries of front-line NHS staff. The problem of staff shortages will be sorted overnight.

Nicola, you need to grasp the thistle and act.

JOHN BLACK Woodhollow House

Helensburgh youth or the elderly, would benefit and who would pay.

Far greater benefits would be attained by supporting a large number of small local projects throughout the country. These would involve improving pedestrian and cycling facilities, which have clear benefits for health and safety. NHS studies show that those who live close to parks and other public open spaces tend to visit these more often than those who don’t.

Even where there are good train services the great majority of public transport trips are made by bus. Most people with passes would continue to use these. Over 60 per cent of people rarely if ever use trains and most of those who do are relatively affluent. Yet the amount of public money used to subsidise bus services is a small fraction of that given to train companies.

St Andrews is one of the wealthiest places in the UK and within 15 minutes’ bus ride of a mainline train station. There is no valid case for a rail link and the government should have the courage to say so. Transport decisions must be made on the basis of clear national and regional plans and not on ad hoc proposals from pressure groups. ALAN MATHIESON Glasgow Road, Perth