• I worked in a small geriatric hospital inside the 60s and 70s (i’m now 91) and was heartened by Andy Burnham’s article (NHS targets went too far, 11 February). The hospital I knew was under the care of a matron who was approaching retirement within the 60s, when one of the vital reorganisations was in prospect. Her life were devoted to ensuring the absolute best treatment and maintain the patients in her charge. I had considerable respect for her views and her management of the hospital. She has long since left this world, during which a lot of the developments within the NHS would surely have dismayed and (probably) angered her. I remember her saying: “You can not run a hospital like a business.” Many people who’ve seen 50 years of changes can only despair and feel sad that any such wonderful organisation was and is being frequently interfered with in unnecessary rebuilding.
Jean Sealey
Belper, Derbyshire
• Well done, Polly Toynbee (NHS enemies will declare the service broken. It’s not, 8 February) for being brave enough to seem beyond the deplorable specifics of the North Staffs case. Ever because the coalition came to power there was a relentless drip-feed of negative stories in regards to the NHS, which the media have obediently recycled with none attempt at balance. This breaks down the public’s belief within the NHS and prepares the bottom for wholesale privatisation. Opposition to the unnecessary and dear reorganisation currently under way is virtually unanimous, yet there was no climb-down by the federal government.
This provides a fascinating contrast with education and the hot U-turn by Michael Gove. The likely explanation is that there aren’t any commercial interests waiting greedily inside the wings in education as there are in health. It is going to appear these interests have captured the Lib Dems in addition the Tories. Much have been manufactured from the Lib Dems’ opposition to Gove’s plans – but where was their opposition to the NHS and social care bill
Margaret Pelling
Oxford
