IoS letters, emails and online postings (26 April 2015)

In response to your article “Who’s monitoring the outsourced NHS services?” 19 April), it is important to remember that all health and social care providers, whether from the independent or public sector, are subject to the same regulatory and licensing process.

The health and social care regulator in England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), oversees the regulation and inspection of all NHS-funded care, including that provided by the independent sector.

All providers are held to the same standards through the CQC. This includes the inspection regime. If there are concerns over standards, the board of the provider has a duty to report these and address them. In addition, the CQC and Clinical Commissioning Groups, who buy services on behalf of their patients, ensure these are addressed.

Alongside the tough CQC regulatory regime, a robust performance management framework exists to ensure patients receive overwhelmingly safe and effective care.

Rob Webster

Chief executive, NHS Confederation

Tristram Hunt says he would be delighted if one of his children chose an apprenticeship rather than university (“We need skills, skills, skills or else we’re stuffed”, 19 April), as if it’s a choice between the two.

Countries like Switzerland prove that is not the case. There, two-thirds of young people choose apprenticeships and many go on to higher education afterwards, which means knowledge and understanding are built on a solid foundation of experience.

We have some way to go before we catch up with Switzerland, but we’re on the right road: advanced and higher apprenticeships are providing new routes to university for growing numbers of people in this country too. So Tristram Hunt’s children can have the best of both worlds: an apprenticeship and a university education.

David Harbourne

Acting chief executive, Edge Foundation

Jane Merrick may like to know that pocket parks originated in Northamptonshire (“Deep in their pockets”, 19 April). These areas are commonly found in the county, owned and looked after by the local community. They provide a small oasis of calm, providing enjoyment, protecting wildlife and allowing access for all. Please let credit be given to undervalued counties, and not Boris Johnson and his Home Counties cohorts.

Kerry Foster

Kettering, Northamptonshire

Members of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) voted against the motion to oppose fracking at our annual conference last weekend, which was put forward by an anti-fracking campaigner and Camra member, but we will continue to watch with interest how the government handles this contentious issue (“Frackers face a mighty new foe – beer drinkers”, 19 April).

Following a thorough debate, the conference voted that this was an issue upon which Camra, as a beer consumer group, is not best placed to pass comment. We will be sticking to our strengths and campaigning for beer and pubs for the foreseeable future.

Tim Page

Chief executive, Camra

If governments were to collect evidence of the amount of commercial and industrial waste generated it would be a start (“Electronic waste worth £34bn piling up in ‘toxic mine’, report warns”, 19 April). There is no money or will to do so. Encouraging the recycling of e-waste, while commendable, is only the tip of the iceberg.

Perhaps the greenest government of all time needs to get its snow-shoes on and visit that iceberg, then put its money where its mouth is.

Jim Elliott

Norwich, Norfolk

A second election (“Looming second election would expose Labour’s funding gap”, 19 April)? I think that if any party promised that there wouldn’t be one it’d be a sure-fire vote winner.

Tim Mickleburgh

Grimsby, Lincolnshire