Alas, recent letters about the transit hub, including Transit Hub Explained, (CP print edition, 15-07-22) and New unit would make huge difference (CP online, 04-07-22) — while a laudable idea that would undoubtedly ease some of the pressures facing the Isle of Wight hospital — doesn’t appreciate how our NHS works.

So for the uninitiated, let me explain why sadly this proposal will never see the light of day.

NHS Trust Boards have directors who quietly oversee government policy and ensure NHS Trusts do not deviate from the political line of the day.

He who pays the piper, or pays NHS executive salaries, calls the tune; and that tune is to promote the move towards more and more private healthcare by increasing public concern over issues such as longer and longer NHS waiting lists for treatment, and struggling NHS services generally.

With the private sector set to provide more and more medical treatments, (government policy to save money during our economic crisis), this will inevitably ease pressure on our beleaguered NHS, allowing trusts to maintain low staffing levels and low hospital bed capacity.

With fewer and fewer patients being processed through NHS hospitals, NHS Trusts are then able to show on paper that they are meeting performance and efficiency targets, together with making savings.

Remember, the most efficient hospital is one that has low patient numbers, hence all the rhetoric to dial 111, seek advice from your pharmacist, or GP first, that’s if you are lucky enough to be able to speak with one.

There are additional benefits with the private medical sector delivering more and more medical procedures.

When things go wrong the burden of medical negligence costs, which are astronomical in our NHS, will fall on third party organisations.

The overall cost of clinical negligence in England rose from £582 million in 2006 to 2007 to a staggering £2.2 billion in 2020 to 2021, and represents a significant burden on our NHS.

Finally, taxpayers' money, previously earmarked for the NHS, can be syphoned off into the pockets of the private for profit medical care providers to pay for medical services commissioned for NHS patients.

I’ll leave you to guess who sits on the board of these private health care organisations, and who have shares in these companies.

In short, it’s a Conservative-inspired capitalist dream. A win-win scenario all round, with the added benefit that if things go wrong, government can point the finger at others and blame them for any failures.

All NHS executives need do is hold the political line, keep their heads down, and continue doing as little as possible.

If there are any problems then NHS Trusts all have huge communication department firewalls to handle issues with the media, and for their CEOs to anonymously hide behind.

Yes, it’s a disgrace, everyone knows it’s a disgrace, but it’s why your letter writer's proposal will have already been filed in the waste bin.

Read more letters sent to the County Press here. Do you have a view on this or any other subject? Send us a letter – under 350 words if possible - to editor@iwcp.co.uk