THAT Dr Martin Ounsted should seek to patronise and abuse members of the public (Evening News, Thursday, October 9), who have the temerity to make up their own minds and exercise this choice we hear so much about in the NHS, is a clue that he and those like him are irritated that even in 2003, the taxpaying and vote-bearing public will use their own judgement about MMR (and indeed about compulsory fluoridation of water supplies).

We are not, by contrast with the professionals, nave enough to be entirely convinced on the basis of the knowledge available to us now that their interpretation of science is 100 per cent right.

With or without a connection with autism or anything else, people ought to be entitled to exercise their own judgement rather than be tyrannised by enforced medication at the hands or those who clearly are not all-knowing, still less it seems in possession of basic good manners.

"Stupidity", "over-clever", "massively negligent", "should be thoroughly ashamed"?

Someone at the PCT needs to offer urgent training to those who can benefit from it, in PR skills.

What is wrong with children experiencing normal childhood illnesses? By all accounts, the PCT would do better to expend its energies and funds on cleaning up the new Worcester hospital, which offers the opportunity of serious infection at every stay, rather than indulge in obvious scare tactics and propaganda with the dubious assistance of a shock-jock spokesman, all mouth and no substance.

This was also the Health Authority devious enough to refer the GP offering the choice of single jabs to the GMC for professional misconduct. He was completely cleared of course. Is there no tactic they will not stoop to?

WENDY HANDS, Upton.