WE were astonished by Councillor Frank Gorton's comments (Letters, January 13) regarding the remarkable achievements of New Labour, particularly in relation to the health service.

He states that the "New Labour government is building more hospitals, which will answer the shortage of beds in the NHS, reduced over 15 years of Tory rule."

What he omits is that these are being built using the Private Finance Initiative, under which the Government gets a private company to build the new hospitals and then rents them off it for a fixed number of years.

Some staff may be transferred to the private companies, thus dividing the health care team. It means privatisation by the back door and, like most buy now, pay later schemes, it costs the public far more in the long run. The Blackburn Hospitals Trust has been obliged to accept a Private Finance Initiative scheme as the means of completing the 'single site' general hospital at Queen's Park.

What is ironic, is that Labour, while in opposition, vigorously opposed the Private Finance Initiative. Harriet Harman stated: "When a private company is building and running a hospital, then it has been privatised."

As a former hospital worker, and trade union representative within the Blackburn hospitals, we expected better of Frank Gorton. Sadly, it appears that he has lost touch with his roots.

K NARRAMORE, on behalf of the committee, Blackburn Health Branch, Unison.

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