Concerns for NHS

David Fiddimore (Letters, 17 April) is right to be concerned about the state of the NHS in England under David Cameron.

However, he is wrong to blame the Tories for the unusually high mortality rates at Mid Staffordshire hospital trust, as the vast majority occurred under Labour’s stewardship 
between 1997 and 2008.

Andy Burnham, who was Labour’s health secretary and previously minister for delivery and reform at the Department of Health, even backed Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust’s application for Foundation status in 2007, citing its “high performing standards”.

Mr Fiddimore should be grateful that here in Scotland we have a government committed to the original ethos of the National Health Service and that has refused to go down the 
privatisation route adopted by all the main political parties south of the Border.

Janice Thompson

Walter Scott Avenue

Edinburgh