What the NHS needs
Sir: James Forsyth and Fraser Nelson are right (‘The great Tory health splurge,’ 26 May): an extra 3 per cent will not solve the Tories’ political problem. Labour will still trumpet NHS deficiencies, waste will continue and the NHS will demand ever more resources.
Only structural change will solve the problems inherent in our state healthcare monopoly. First, we need to set sustainable limits on what the NHS should provide, learning from other countries how to restrain demand responsibly. Second, we need to look beyond how adult social care is funded, to how it should fit with the NHS. Third, we must slash the top-heavy bureaucracy and split NHS England into manageable units (the size of NHS Scotland, say). Without such radical action, another £350 million will only buy Theresa May more heartache.
Tim Ambler
Senior Fellow, Adam Smith Institute
London SW1
The price of justice
Sir: As a criminal barrister, I was interested to read that ‘The Brexit bus pledge has turned the Conservatives into big spenders’ (26 May). As a result of many years of under-investment and cuts, the right to a fair trial has been undermined, in that the current regime of disclosure in criminal trials is no longer fit for purpose. The levels of remuneration at the Criminal Bar are derisory and discriminatory. Over the past 20 years we have seen the fees that we receive cut by at least a third. Many desperate people in need of representation no longer qualify for legal aid. The law is fast becoming a profession for the rich to be used by the rich. Both the courts and the Crown Prosecution Service are woefully understaffed, and cases are being listed many months and in some cases years after charge.
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