YP Letters: Why is the NHS in crisis?

EACH winter NHS bosses cry out that they cannot cope with the increased demand for services and need more money.

The time must come soon when politicians of all parties ask th why is this happening.

If they took a look at how the NHS was run in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they would see that GPs did home visits and organised deputising services to cover “out of hours” calls – both of which removed the need for patients to go to A&E departments or call an ambulance.

Each hospital had a small management committee taking decisions. Hospital wards were kept open.

Politicians must accept that the changes brought in by the Blair government in the late 1990s failed and have the backbone to admit it.

The NHS does not need more money, but if all NHS trust members were removed and 99.9 per cent of all hospital managers sacked and replaced with qualified medical staff making medical decisions on redistributing the funds available, the NHS would, once again, belong to the population and not the incompetent managers.

From: J Patrick, Wakefield Road, Pontefract.

ONLY when England has the same democratic rights as the rest of Britain will we be able to solve the crisis of NHS England.

The British Government diverts funds readily to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, yet starves England of resources, from health to highways.

Ultimately, it is English taxpayers who fund the United Kingdom, but who are the last in the queue for health and social care benefits and whose infrastructure is the worst in Britain.

Until England rids itself of the yoke of British governmental rule, nothing will improve for our country. We must demand equal democratic rights for England, and we must do it now.

From: Dave Croucher, Pinfold Gardens, Doncaster.

IF Theresa May is under the illusion she will go down in history as the Prime Minister who negotiated and got the UK the best Brexit deal possible, she is wrong.

May and her predecessor David Cameron will go down in history as the PMs who finally managed to destroy the NHS.

This may be commendable by all the past and present Tory governments, but to the 
British people who cannot 
afford private medical care and preferential treatment, it will 
be a disaster.

Unless something is done soon, we are going to see many many more avoidable deaths.

From: James Bovington, Church Grove, Horsforth, Leeds.

THE NHS is best served by the UK remaining in Euratom and the EMA. Voters were promised £350m a week extra for the NHS. It is now becoming clear that Brexit is actually a serious threat to the NHS – quite the opposite of what was promised.

We’re entitled to question whether we were sold a false prospectus during the referendum campaign and whether it would make sense for there now to be a rethink.

That is why I certainly support a second referendum to give voters the opportunity to remain in the Single Market (which Mrs Thatcher considered one of her greatest achievements) and the Customs Union as, according to both a coalition of business leaders in the CBI and the trade unions, no hypothetical trade deals can presently rival the ease of trade that we enjoy within the framework of the EEA.

From: Tarquin Holman, Marsden Court, Farsley, Leeds.

WATCHING and listening to the sorry state of affairs regarding our NHS and crime, it’s a good job we had Sir Winston Churchill to win the war in just five years and Clement Attlee who built the excellent welfare state, also in just five years.

From: CW Allman, Leeds.

WHEN are people going to realise that this Conservative government is ruining this once great country? They have lied from day one and are still lying. Theresa May says we have the best NHS. Explain to us Prime Minister why you are ruining it.

From: Colin Smiley, Wakefield.

REPLYING to Shaun Kavanagh’s letter, Tony Blair was one of the best Prime Ministers that this country has ever seen. When Tony Blair and Gordon Brown were at the helm, poverty was reduced and the NHS saved as the Tories had run it into the ground, just like they are doing now.

Bias ruining commentary

From: Ron Goldthorpe, Worsbrough, Barnsley.

I AM old enough to remember when we had excellent unbiased cricket commentators and summarisers. John Arlott, Richie Benaud, Fred Trueman and Jim Laker to name but a few.

I have complained for many years about most of the Sky and Test Match Special teams.

However the BT Sport team,in Australia are the worst, and most biased, commentators that I have heard in my life. I must also pick out the dreadful quote by Michael Vaughan stating that wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler is the greatest middle order batsman in the world.

Yes it was a good innings on Sunday, but one swallow does not make a summer. Great players only occasionaly fail, while Buttler only occasionally has a good innings.

Thatcher for Barnsley?

From: Eddie Peart, Rotherham.

A PROPOSAL to erect a statue of Margaret Thatcher in Parliament Square in London has been opposed due to lack of space.

Perhaps it could be reallocated to the centre of Barnsley. A statue of Arthur Scargill could also be erected as well if there is a desire from the people of Barnsley.