Most of us strongly support the NHS and yet acknowledge that it faces chronic problems – problems that are likely to get worse as the winter progresses. People are aware that huge amounts of taxpayers’ money is ploughed into the health service but despite this things are getting worse not better. In truth I don’t understand why. But during the week I was talking to a neighbour who suggested that one of the most important reasons was because of the impact of the ever-expanding private health sector. She thought that if the wealthy and those with political leverage don’t use the NHS themselves they will not be worrying as much or giving it the same priority attention as would be the case if they and their family did use it. She talked about other European countries which have successfully dealt with these problems and she thought this was because they had a better funding model and also because they have a much smaller private health sector allied with a general feeling that allowing the wealthy to buy their way to the front of the queue is morally reprehensible. And that in any event because their health system is better than the UK’s there is less need to buy preferential treatment. Her comments have given me a lot to think about because hitherto I’d assumed that the answer was simply to plough more and more cash into the NHS. I would love to know what your readers think about how we might best improve our system of health care for the majority and not just the privileged few. And perhaps you could ask local MPs Dean Russell (Watford) and Gagan Mohindra (SW Herts) to use your columns to tell us how the Government intends to deal with the crisis in the health service.

Philip Parry

South West Herts Labour Party