ROGER Sharpe (Letters, April 17) is entirely correct in his analysis of the NHS.

I raised the matter of the scandalous state of affairs at the now-defunct Yorkshire Health Authority with my MP and was told in turn by John Horam, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, in which he states that actions taken by and payments made to senior managers were 'quite unacceptable' and that the successor health authority "is attempting to recover the monies involved." And pigs might fly.

The rest of Mr Horam's letter acknowledges "just two small cases which 'might' merit criminal prosecution" and then goes on to cite a litary of malpractice and gross incompetence.

It is only due to the dogged persistence of newspapers that this whole sordid business has been exposed.

J FIELDING, St Cecilia Street, Great Harwood.

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