SUE Richardson, in letters on Monday, writes concerning the NHS.

She is clearly a member of the "pump money into the service regardless as to how it is to be paid for" group.

Sue must have heard about black holes in outer space which have a limitless ability to consume matter.

Well, down here on Earth, our black hole is the NHS.

It is simply not possible to keep pouring money into the service, regardless of economic realities.

Ms Richardson will be aware of the catastrophic GP contracts negotiated by the last Labour Government in 2006 whereby, without realising it, they gave GPs a 33 per cent pay rise.

Subsequent negotiations with doctors have meant that governments have had one hand tied behind their backs.

What does Ms Richardson have to say about fraud, theft and mistakes costing the service some £7 billion each year, enough to fund some 20,0000 nurses?

Advances in science and treatments mean that we no longer need bed levels from years ago, bed losses do not necessarily mean a worse service but probably is reflective of general improvements.

Areas of expertise concentrated at regional hospitals also mean that bedding levels at local hospitals do not need to be maintained.

Fighting to save a service is a romantic notion that is simply not borne out when the specifics are analysed — £120 billion of funding is not an "insignificant" level. I, for one, am not prepared to underwrite the NHS with a blank cheque, nor am I prepared to be emotionally blackmailed into thinking that their is something gross about my view point.

We, as a country, need to rapidly undertake a review of our foreign aid budget and curtail all excesses and fraud in relation to that and transfer savings, as additional funds, to the NHS.

The NHS will continue to exist at an appropriate level indefinitely and at a level that the country can afford.

Ian Holland

Bolton