I MUST congratulate local Conservatives for their efforts to stop essential services from being taken away from Queen Mary's Hospital.

But it was they who started the downward trend of our NHS.

It started when Mrs Thatcher became prime minister.

Her health minister, Mrs Bottomley, and later Conservative health ministers carved and cut the NHS to pieces, including selling off sections to private contractors.

Finally they did the greatest carve up of all, they created the hospital trusts. It was claimed they would make the NHS more efficient.

No-one in their right mind would say this happened. Quite the opposite, as it has become quite obvious.

The Labour Party is also to blame for the poor state of our health service today, instead of putting it back as it was created.

We need a National Health Service with equal treatment and medication for everybody no matter where you live.

Then perhaps our health service will once again be the envy of the world, not the unequal piecemeal system of treatment and medication caused by financial consideration it has become. If the Government says we cannot afford it, then I suggest we stop fighting a war or two, then we could.

D W Johnson, Shirley Road, Sidcup