Dear Editor

THE fact that reading Councillor Vince’s letter left me more bemused than he could ever be as it is blatantly obvious that he didn’t read either of my letters preferring to use the crisis that GPs and Health centres find themselves to try and continue his ‘evil Tories’ narrative.

In my previous letter I alluded to the problem that we now find ourselves could be traced back to 1997 and the introduction of National Health Service (Private Finance) Act 1997, rushed through without any safeguards by Tony Blair’s New Labour government in July of that year. Essentially, it moved the NHS from public health strategic planning to finance led planning, completely ignoring clinical need and strategic planning based on those needs. 

This situation has nothing to do with evil Tories or feckless Labour, it has to do with our NHS at the community health centre level being forced, by the bureaucrats and accountants who were given the power in 1997 and still have it, to stop face to face appointments, only to have phone consultations with GP’s, only allow appointments to be made by phone, not in person, because it makes the spreadsheets look better and that is all the bureaucrats understand. 

In essence it removed the ability for patients and their GPs to interact properly, allowing patients to trust their clinicians.

At this moment in time, we are coming out of probably one of the scariest periods in recent history. People’s anxiety levels are through the roof. We need to restore medical services that lockdown affected. That will not be a quick job. The primary point of contact for patients is their GP and how can your GP actually spot a problem on the phone? We already have reports of just this sort of situation from Brentwood and I am sure that is, sadly, not an isolated case.

Councillor Vince and his chums need to realise that the NHS is everybody’s, not just Labour’s. 

By trying to make out that my letters are an attack on the Clinicians and nursing staff who have worked so hard during the pandemic and for that matter every day making the NHS the best health service in the world is an insult to NHS staff and clearly shows that he is more interested in weaponizing the NHS for his own interests rather than recognising that there is a problem that needs addressing so that GP’s can return to face to face consultations and patients will be able to contact their doctor without the hours of waiting or just being cut off. 

When he was made Member Champion for Mental Health and Wellbeing in 2019, I met with him on neutral ground for a coffee and he promised me that he would ensure that mental health and wellbeing issues would be his highest priority, I am still waiting to see that priority appear. His successor didn’t do anything to promote the issues either. 

If Councillor Vince wants to actually be taken seriously as his group’s leader it is time he stopped all the posturing and actually listened to what the residents of Harlow are saying and represent his constituents in his ward and across the town. 

Yours

Councillor Nick Churchill

Member Champion for Mental Health and Wellbeing

Harlow District Council