LETTER: Concerns over NHS resources

The NHS is at the forefront of the news at present both nationally and locally. Local residents of Horsham have been alarmed at the possibility of three Horsham practices moving to new premises at Broadbridge Heath. We frequently hear of patients’ difficulties in obtaining timely appointments to see their GPs.

Readers may be interested to hear of recent correspondence in the Guardian newspaper explaining why this is the case (The Guardian Letters 03 09 14).

The chief executive and chairs of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire local medical committees raise their concerns that ‘The proportion of NHS expenditure directed at general practice has been reduced from 11 per cent to eight per cent.’ In addition ‘all GPs now spend substantial amounts of time supporting their clinical commissioning groups rather than seeing their patients’.

So much for David Cameron’s previous promises of ‘no top down reorganisation of the NHS’. Beware of further promises by that gentleman of his commitment to the NHS and of doctors seeing their patients seven days a week!

JACKY LITTLE

Rushams Road, Horsham