It seems appropriate to make the following points in response to Val Wood's letter in the Journal of 8th June:

The problem with the NHS - given that it has much lower management costs than does, for instance, the private sector - is that it is under-managed; not over-managed - particularly when account be taken of the very challenging targets (clinical, financial and other) which the NHS has been set. The numbers of doctors and nurses has actually increased by many tens of thousands in recent years, while management costs have proportionately reduced and are set to reduce by a further £250M by 2008. As it happens, South Worcestershire PCT has the lowest management costs of any NHS organisation in the whole West Midlands Region.

I believe that I can justly claim that the employee-consultation about cost-reduction, which did indeed take place, was a model of its kind. The spirit in which staff tackled this task was highly professional, albeit in rather disagreeable circumstances, and they did actually come up with a large and varied range of suggestions, most of which we have been pleased to accommodate. Much credit attaches to them.

Perhaps Val Wood and your other readers will know by now that the PCT's Board listened very carefully to the points made by Michael Amies and others, and decided to reject the recommendation for early closure of "old" Pershore Community Hospital.

David Barlow, Chairman, S Worcs PCT.