I’M APPALLED to learn of the planned increase in the rates for the general hospital, however when talking about NHS costs, looking back over the last few years one is bound to ask if sufficient planning went into investing vast sums of money in the new hospital buildings and site improvements. 

The main outstanding disadvantages associated with the General lie in the tedious queuing when attempting to gain access to the hospital site and parking headaches once access has been achieved.

The NHS is not responsible for local road improvements but it is for hospital parking areas. 

One must query the wisdom of building the long awaited heliport on the existing two storey car park thus preventing any further decks being added to a suitably strengthened structure. 

Why was the heliport not incorporated in the roof area of one of the new buildings similar to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham?

The millions spent on the recent face lift to the hospital entrance and shopping mall would have been better spent on removing the stepped area immediately in front of the hospital (attractive but useless) and converting it to a reasonably sized free blue badge parking area.

As a regular patient I have nothing but praise for the overworked medical teams but I seriously question the competence of the ‘bean counters’ and planners.

Mike Jackson, Warsash.