DEAR Mr Osborne, The serious crisis of ‘bed blocking’ in the NHS hospitals that serve your constituency could be given absolute and certain relief.

I refer to the Memorial Hospital, in Knutsford. I am sure the building would be very suitable to be adapted to become an NHS convalescent home, for post- surgical patients requiring one or two weeks to enable them a full recovery with reduced medical costs, as well as freeing up hospital beds.

I mention the NHS in particular, as I am aware that the government is keen to award contracts to the private sector, which will be, I assure you, a grave mistake in the long-term, as are private hospital contracts, which are literally bleeding the NHS of funds at this time.

Virtually a day does not go by now when we do not hear of some tragic failure of the NHS due to lack of funding for medical procedures, sometimes a tragedy involving children.

I am challenging you, as the parliamentary representative elected by the people of Knutsford, to consider my suggestion seriously.

Gerald A Norden

Knutsford