I READ with interest the letters published in The Press regarding the Government’s proposed changes to the health service.

In one of the letters the writer stated that these changes could possibly create a postcode lottery for treatment.

I would like to point out that under the present system, in which the primary care trusts allocate funds for treatment, this so-called postcode lottery is already in existence.

The North Yorkshire Primary Care Trust is the only trust in the country that does not routinely fund spinal pain-killing injections.

This means that a large number of patients receive no effective relief from chronic back pain.

However, if these patients lived in any other areas of the UK, they would receive these injections.

While I am no supporter of the present Government and have grave doubts about their proposals for the NHS, I would agree that the clinicians should be able to decide what treatment is best for their patients and not a panel of bureaucrats.

RN Lightowler, Townend Street, York.