LETTER: Bassetlaw Hospital - Questions for the health trust

Yes campaigners of all ages held signs, some reading ‘Save our National Health Service’, notice the word ‘national’?

I would like to ask the heath trust’s governing body, who by the way we pay wages to out of our contributions we pay from our wages, a few questions:

1. Why are we paying £14,000 monthly to run private ambulances from Worksop to Doncaster Hospital (don’t give me the rubbish about no nurses)?

2. Where do the private ambulances come from and are they local drivers who operate them from Worksop? If not how do they get here and who pays for accommodation if they are from far away?

3. Paying this firm when the yearly bill would come to £168,000, enough money to pay five nurses £30,000 yearly with a little left over (that’s if you wanted nurses here in the first place).

4. Why are these meetings held midweek, when:

a) Most people are at work or in bed after doing a night shift.

b) Parents taking young children to school having no time to attend.

c) Any grandparents who do not drive and who would like to attend but cannot go as bus passes do not start until 9.30am which includes a one hour 15 minute round trip via Kilton, Carlton, Langold, Harworth etc, to get to Doncaster. Even longer if roadworks in operation. Been there done that (not daft are they?).

d) Why doesn’t the trust directors meet the public at the local miners’ welfare to hear our views, after all we are paying them.

5. Finally, why don’t the local Conservative Party councillors take an active part in trying to keep the children’s ward open (seen none yet)?

I think I know the answer to the last one though, it’s called privatisation, the Tory party flagship (privatise the NHS at any cost).

Let’s just hope no children’s lives are lost through this stupidity.

Allan Hardwick

Stubbing Lane,

Worksop