ON the advice of Derek Brooks’ March 17 letter, I've taken a long hard look at his claims that the Tories will be “making the NHS work”.

I have worked in the NHS for 20 years — as a nurse, a manager and a commissioner — under Labour and Tory governments. and the Tories just don’t understand the NHS.

To cut costs in the short term, they put nurses on three-month rolling contracts, tendered cleaning services to the lowest bidder. and eliminated spending on prevention and public health. All of which resulted in increased costs in the long term.

Labour, on the other hand, have invested significantly in public health, in raising standards. and reducing waiting times. They completed the biggest pay and conditions restructuring ever conducted anywhere on earth. On time. And without industrial action.

So take a long, hard look at this — under the Tories, people waited over two years to see a cancer specialist. Now it’s two weeks.

Tony Roberts Ramsbottom