Letter: Shropshire Star

Parliament for England can target NHS crisis

The Star reported that the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital loses £3m per year treating Welsh patients because the Welsh Assembly won't pay the cost of treating a patient.

When Shropshire NHS is in debt to the tune of £30m and talking about closing hospitals to cut costs, why are we having to subsidise Wales even further?
Wales already costs Shropshire taxpayers millions per year in subsidies under the Barnett Formula.

I read a letter in a Welsh newspaper demanding that the Welsh government charge English pensioners for treatment in Welsh hospitals. As English taxpayers are already paying for the Welsh NHS it is slightly hypocritical, don't you think?

Daniel Kawczynski MP criticised the Welsh Office minister, Nick Ainger, about this but he doesn't have any idea what to do about it.

An English Parliament with the same powers as the Scottish Parliament would have control of the English NHS and our health budget.

An English Parliament would be able to fight for cuts (or even the end) of the Barnett Formula. An English Parliament is the answer but we need to ensure English MPs at Westminster have England's interests in mind.

The May local elections are a good place to start.

Stuart Parr
Telford