SINCE the Coalition came to power I have exchanged various correspondence with our MP, Mel Stride (Con) regarding the Tory's attempts to privatise the NHS.  Mr Stride has reassured me that they will not be privatising the NHS.

As the Statutory Instruments 2012 No. 237 ( if readers would like to see it for themselves) makes abundantly clear privatisation is exactly what Mel Stride's Government want to see in the NHS.

Would he care to tell us, his voters, why he stated categorically in writing that his Government were not privatising the NHS when that is exactly what they are trying to do?

Before Mr Stride answers, I will make this point  —  that NHS hospitals may stay in public hands is meaningless when the new regulations, if passed by Parliament, will unfairly undermine them, causing them to go bust and leave us with no choice but to use private hospitals. The public will rightly see this as the privatisation it is.

Furthermore, perhaps Mr Stride would like to explain, if he is as against privatisation as he claims, why he consistently voted in favour of this privatisation every time the Health and Social Care Bill has come before Parliament and how he justifies this when he is in parliament representing us, his constituents, who did not vote for privatising the NHS? 

In addition, he has told me that any choice over provider in the NHS would not be based on price, but on quality. The regulations tell a different story.

Dave Goodwin

Sticklepath