SIR - Can any Worcester News readers help me? I understand the Government is talking about patient choice in the NHS.

They say I shall be able to have a choice of at least three hospitals regarding my operation. On the other hand, I hear of NHS hospitals being closed through overspend on budgets. Redditch Hospital has been under threat recently. Other hospitals around the country are threatened, Ludlow in Shropshire being one of the nearest. To me, closing hospitals narrows the choice.

Now have I missed something here, or is the Blair government living with Alice in her Wonderland? They will probably say that the private sector can form the other part of the choice. Yes, but what happens if your operation goes wrong in the private sector? I will tell you, they send you directly to an NHS hospital i.e. the NHS hospital loses the money that went with your op and has to pick up the bill if it goes wrong. The classic 'tails I win heads you lose' situation we have seen so often.

No, Mr Blair, we don't want choice. We just want a clean, efficient local hospital that will be able to treat us as speedily as possible - and where we can park. The choice bit comes in at election time.

TERRY JAMES,

Drakes Broughton.