Let MPs know how much you value the NHS
SOME parts of Yorkshire are bearing the worst of the coronavirus epidemic and cases are still rising everywhere.
Our country is one of the richest in the world, yet has suffered the highest level of excess deaths in Europe. The areas most at risk are deprived communities in northern England, which have been disproportionately hit by the austerity policy of the last 10 years, inflicting massive cuts at local level to health and social care provision.
But rather than strengthen local provision, the Government’s response to the emergency has been to sideline and underfund local government public health teams, NHS laboratories and Public Health England regional health protection teams.
Instead of using on- theground experience of public sector experts, money for critical infrastructure has been funnelled into huge outsourced contracts to private sector amateurs and providers of unusable PPE.
The£ 10bntestandtracesystem hailedbythePrime Ministeras ‘ world beating’ is– months later– onlymanaging tohit10percent of its24- hourturnaroundtarget. Meanwhile, another£ 60mof taxpayers’moneyhasbeenhanded out, withoutproper tendering, to privateconsultants withoutthe necessary transparencybeing followed.
The Government ignored the advice of its Sage committee experts and cynically exploited the epidemic as an opportunity to privatise the NHS.
I have complained to my MP Kevin Hollinrake but mine is just one voice. If you want to save the NHS and its brave key workers who put their lives on the line, I recommend that you also write to your MP.
From: Bob Swallow,
Townhead Avenue, Settle.
BILL Carmichael ( The Yorkshire Post, October 2) writes understandably from the heart and any reasonable parent would do the same. This is a very tough time yet not of our own making.
The Government has come in for some much deserved stick, yet would any other administration have done better?
One person has however to my mind come out of this fiasco with some credit: the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.
By his own admission he has not been able to help everyone affected by the pandemic but he has done his best to alleviate the worst situations.
None of this is of our own making, that lies at the door of the Chinese administration with an appalling record not least in human rights including treatment of many of its own citizens. I just hope that the UK Government remembers this in the future when the Chinese try to flog their products to us.
From: David Craggs, Shafton Gate, Goldthorpe.
HAVING just watched on TV the Leeds Rhinos versus Wigan Warriors Challenge Cup semifinal at a spectator- less venue, surely it is not beyond the capability of man to come up with a plan that would allow a large number of spectators to watch such a game?
Theplanwould bequitesimple. Thehugespectatorareascould be taped offinsuchawayasto ensurethatindividualsaretwo metresapart. Thetwo- metrerule couldalsobeapplied tothequeues leadinguptotheturnstiles. The supermarketsandDIY storeshave beensuccessfulatdoingthis, so whynotasportsvenue?