DR Malcolm Bateson rightly raises concerns about the underused NHS units in County Durham (HAS, Sept 19), but he should not be astonished to learn about the plans for the Woodlands Hospital private nursing facility in Darlington.
Having injected surprisingly large sums of money into the NHS, our Government seems to be actively encouraging "public-private partnership", a euphemism for privatisation of some of the most profitable chunks of the NHS. (Dare they admit this to be a demolition job by default?).
The net result is that private facilities flourish under gimmicky labels, such as "healthcare village"
and "one-stop shop", while the NHS wards remain empty.
Abdul Jaleel, Darlington.
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