Dear Editor

A serious road traffic accident before Christmas saw me spend 15 days in Bristol Southmead Trauma Unit.

From consultants to cleaners, radiographers to junior doctors, the care I received was amazing, despite this government’s dire NHS funding decisions.

Dedicated staff came from across the world and nothing was too much trouble for any of them.

My family brought in the paper and I couldn’t help but contrast my multi-cultural experience with the crass letter from North Wiltshire MP James Gray, failing miserably to justify his government’s Rwanda policy, one that would certainly have seen a number of these superb staff now classed as illegal immigrants.

The millions being poured unnecessarily to Rwanda would be far better spent resolving the junior doctor crisis but it shows precisely where his government’s priorities lie - on saving their political skins rather than engaging with the NHS needs.

I find it ironic that a government makes it hard for people to strike and then, when they exercise their democratic right to do so, Victoria Atkins, the Secretary of State for Health refuses to talk to them.

What a hypocrite. If she experienced firsthand the care that I had, despite the gross underfunding of the NHS, she would have been round the negotiating table straight away.

James Gray is trying, after the severe flooding, to talk to Wiltshire Council and the Environment Agency (EA) to improve matters.

Nothing in his letter apologises for the undeniable fact that his government has taken millions of pounds from council budgets across England over the last 14 years whilst Liz Truss and others cut millions from the EA.

This led to fewer flood defences being built and the resultant dire sewage outfalls, whilst water companies shareholders got millions in dividends.

I regard this government’s attitude to the floods (and all other elements affecting us) as “plaster politics”.

Patch up here and there, claim it as significant progress, but then produce no coherent long term plan to resolve the problem.

That is patently obvious with our care system that is in severe crisis but Rwanda is Gray’s first priority.

Vote for you when the General Election comes, Mr Gray?

I hope your constituents see through you and other MPs and have more sense whenever that time comes.

John Baxter, Bradford on Avon