I agree with Claire Perry in her column (January 15) that ‘weaponise’ is an ugly-sounding word. However, it fits precisely the Coalition government’s attitude towards the NHS.

Since 2010, Conservative health secretaries, with Lib Dem support, have used the NHS as a weapon to cut away at public services and promote privatisation. They have put forward no evidence to suggest that commercially-run services are better for patients.

And the Circle Health/ Hinchingbrooke Hospital debacle suggests privatisation is very far from being the answer. They have used the NHS as an ideological weapon.

We should ignore denials of speeded up privatisation – the evidence of intent is there in black and white in the Lansley Health and Social Care Act. And the evidence of the record so far came last month when the British Medical Journal revealed that of 3,494 NHS contracts awarded in England between April 2013 and August 2014, one third went to the private sector.

The Coalition shouts about getting money to frontline services and then stands by as commercial companies siphon money away from the frontline to shareholders, directors and top managerial staff.

It is cynical to talk about an “almost £15 billion increase” in the NHS budget over the parliament when this has barely covered national inflation, let alone the inflation figures that really matter to the NHS, the increase in England’s population and the increasing life-expectancy.

The increase has been so small that ministers have been afraid to allow most staff their agreed and paltry one per cent pay rise.

We must subtract from her alleged “almost £15billion” increase in NHS funding the £3billion cost of the Health & Social Care Act’s reorganisation. And that bill is still rising as Commissioning Support Units have to merge and co-commissioning of primary care is brought in. Lansley’s Act was a veritable weapon of mass destruction – and we are reaping the results.

Tony Millett, Marlborough.