Margaret Drabble's compelling and frank article on the need to protect the NHS reminds us of the mendacity of the Tories during the 2010 general election (Safe in their hands, 19 March). Cameron successfully tapped into our intrinsic relationship with the NHS by claiming it was "safe with me". This, coupled with huge amounts of money from Lord Ashcroft and his cronies, helped convince many people that it was "time for a change". The Tories are now moving quickly to replace the NHS with a privatised system; "ringfencing" equals cuts, while hospitals and what's left of the primary care trusts are struggling with standstill budgets to meet the ever increasing demands referred to by Drabble.
Here in Rochester, we've just turned back an attempt to cut our drop-in blood-testing service at the local (and newly built) clinic. The service was being replaced with appointment-only clinics at GP surgeries under the guise of increasing hours available. Local people and the Labour party mounted a big campaign which, for the time being, has achieved a reinstatement of the service. In the words of Cameron, "we can't go on like this".
I advise readers to reread Drabble's Radiant Way trilogy, remember what it was like in the 80s and vote to chuck the Tories out of local councils on 5 May. Then we might have a chance of keeping hold of that "brilliant and beautiful construction".
Cllr Teresa Murray
Labour, Medway council
• Citizens in north-east Lancashire will hardly be surprised to read of local campaigns over A&E and other ward closures in various parts of the country (Tory MPs accused of false election promises that could put nation's health in jeopardy, 17 March); even less surprised, no doubt, at the accusation of "false election promises". Burnley's A&E department went to Blackburn over three years ago and the Burnley facility was downgraded to an urgent care centre.
Before the election Andrew Lansley was reported as saying that he could not see why Burnley should not have its own A&E department. Nick Clegg, visiting Burnley days before the election, said the Lib Dems had a firm commitment to restoring A&E to Burnley. Throughout the election campaign, voters in Burnley and Pendle constituencies were invited to infer from Liberal and Tory publicity that A&E would indeed be returned to Burnley. The two constituencies returned Liberal and Tory MPs in Burnley and Pendle respectively, replacing Labour, and one is left wondering if the aforesaid publicity should be regarded as promise, pledge or mere aspiration.
Dr Tony Pickles
Colne, Lancashire
• I have been surprised that the debate on the NHS has so little international context. According to the Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey 2010, which compares the health services of a number of countries, including the UK, US, France, Germany and New Zealand, using a number of performance indices, the NHS has the best healthcare system in the world.
The report states that UK patients experience good access to specialists, high levels of care (only beaten by New Zealand), low waiting times in A&E and the least number of medical errors, and are the most confident of receiving effective treatment. It is clear what a patient-focused, value-for-money healthcare system we have. Lansley's plans for the NHS, neither declared in the manifestos of the Con Dem coalition nor properly researched as to their impact on quality – allied to the massive cuts demanded by the Treasury – will fundamentally and irrevocably change our health system.
Dr ID Watson
President-elect, European Federation of Clinical Chemistry & Laboratory Medicine
• Why is there this constant, complacent assertion of the NHS's superiority over the US healthcare system? The more meaningful comparison, given that the UK is in Europe, would be with other European countries, most of which have a successful combination of private and governmental administration. France's privately practised, but government-administered system has been acknowledged by the WHO to be the best in the world (Passion for health services fires desire for excellence, 21 March). The UK is ranked 18th. It would be helpful to learn lessons from the French, rather than sneering at the obvious faults of the American system.
Helen Rugman
Moulsford, Oxfordshire
• So Nick Clegg is frustrated that concessions to ban competition in the NHS on quality and not price have received little publicity (Lib Dems seek changes to health reforms, 21 March). I am not surprised. Having sat on the standing committee since 8 February, I still can't work out what it means. What is clear, though, is that nearly one hundred clauses in this bill give Monitor, the proposed economic regulator, the power to introduce competition throughout the health and social care sector.
Last Thursday I asked the health minister Simon Burns if the Office of Fair Trading or the Competition Commission has the power to override agreed local mergers in our health service. He replied: "Yes, if there is a substantial lessening of competition." As the same minister said to the BBC in January, there will be a real market, there will be real competition. Maybe the coalition should tell the country what this means for the future of our NHS before we go any further?
Kevin Barron MP
Labour, Rother Valley
• When can we expect Mr Lansley to take a deep breath and relaunch the National Health Service as the Notional Health Service?
Harry Wheeldon
Norwich, Norfolk