NHS in a mess
Sir: Max Pemberton is quite right to say that the NHS is close to collapse, but I’m not sure a Royal Commission is the answer (‘This is an emergency’, 20 May). The problems facing the NHS have been obvious for years, and need, as Max points out, a strong politician to take unpopular decisions, not an expensive Royal Commission to decide what the issues are. The other problem with a Royal Commission is that it would draw its membership from senior doctors, retired politicians, and other members of the establishment, some of whom are responsible for the mess in the first place.
Dr Chris Nancollas
Yorkley, Gloucestershire
How to free up beds
Sir: How gratifying to read Max Pemberton’s well-constructed debate on NHS funding. One thing Mr Pemberton did not mention is reversing Gordon Brown’s abolition of tax relief on private medical insurance for the elderly, which was a spiteful act driven by political ideology.
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