The big new change is that the NHS can no longer guarantee life-saving help in an emergency
SIR – Recently a 38-year-old family man had a severe reaction to a bee sting at our home. His face swelled, he could no longer breathe through his nose and his throat was tightening.
The 999 operator, after a lengthy discussion with his manager, told us the wait would be at least eight hours. My wife (a retired GP) and I confirmed that this was a life-threatening emergency. The operator apologised and suggested we transport the victim to Accident and Emergency.
Rather than risk A&E – seven miles in rush-hour traffic – I drove him to our local health centre as my wife phoned ahead. He got the vital adrenaline injection in time.
The NHS always had its flaws but until recently the assumption was that its response in an emergency could be relied upon. Our experience supports growing evidence that this is no longer so; a frightening paradigm shift. If this milestone does not encourage appropriate action, what will?
Brian Simpson FRCS
Dinas Powys, Glamorgan SIR – NHS nursing staff were handed pay deals last week under false pretences. Pay rises were sold by ministers as the best they could offer. The reality is that, after a decade of real-term pay cuts with tens of thousands of nurses missing from services and extreme pressure, safe care is fundamentally compromised.
Most worrying is the assertion that anyone has to choose between patient care or credible NHS pay. There are no services without skilled professionals.
The NHS isn’t buildings, or beds. It’s people. We know that the public has always shown their respect for nursing staff, and last week a Yougov poll showed that 60 per cent support nursing staff taking industrial action.
We will ballot members on such action to make those in power see the strength of feeling at these shameful pay deals. We showed our strength by decisive action in Northern Ireland and we will not be ignored again. Carol Popplestone
Chair of Council, Royal College of Nursing, London W1
SIR – If the NHS spends £10,000 per household, could I please have my share back so I can go private? Victoria Cockburn
Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire
SIR – The best performing NHS trusts all serve prosperous areas. It would be reasonable to assume a higher proportion in those areas use privatesector hospitals and medical care. It is thus obvious that this is a major factor in reducing pressure on NHS trusts.
Advice to our future prime minister: allow private care to be tax deductible. Tom Sheward
Marlborough, Wiltshire
SIR – Tim Knox’s Civitas report on the UK’S health spending (report, July 23), seems to illustrate that, for almost the greatest spend per capita in Europe, we achieve almost the worst outcomes.
Why? An examination of the relative proportions of the numbers of “clinical’” and “administrative” personnel would be helpful. It is widely believed by the public that the large increase in spending in the past decade has been mostly on nonclinical staff, with the added perception that very senior officers have been handed large increases.
Separately, there is little evidence that badly needed investment in modern buildings and equipment is progressing to any great extent.
Let’s have real facts, please.
Sir Peter Innes
Winchester, Hampshire
SIR – Your News Focus “The NHS is broken” (July 23), says that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, which has a regional catchment area the size of Scotland, is the worst performing acute NHS trust in the country.
I visit fortnightly for excellent palliative care and almost each time the published statistics for the previous week before show that around 32,000 outpatients turned up and 5,200 did not. Patients have responsibilities too.
Chris Hodson