Wirral Borough Council leader Dave Jackson writes exclusively for the Globe

WELL, it seems like quite a while since I spoke to you last, but I'm out of hospital now and back at my desk.

I got some kind of infection and my right leg swelled up to a truly remarkable size. It was a great relief, I can tell you, to be back this weekend working on the allotment again, with a normal sized leg.

I can't help thinking that the situation might not have been the same in a different era of history, without antibiotics, and without the dedicated medical and nursing care I received.

It makes you realise how important it is not to take that level of care for granted, but to make sure it's maintained and strengthened where possible. One of the problems that the Health service and Council share is that so much of what we do is dependent on the goodwill and commitment of our staff, who believe in the importance of public service.

But, because it is a public service, it's paid for out of the public purse, which in turn comes out of your pocket in taxes. In order to keep those taxes as low as possible (and because politicians like to get re-elected), public services are continually urged by the government of the day to keep their costs down, and various incentives and penalties are built in to make sure this happens. As most of the money actually goes on paying people to do the jobs that need doing, that often means more work being done by fewer people to save money, or people being paid less than the private sector can pay, which makes recruiting new staff difficult. The net result is that the staff can be placed under enormous pressure, the only things that keep them working at all under such conditions is their dedication to providing a service.

It seems to me that there's a limit to how long we can trade on that dedication. The day I was admitted to casualty, it was as busy as Euston station; it was six hours before I got a bed on a ward, even though I'd been admitted through my GP . . . . and I was by no means the worst off. The staff who were on duty were rushed off their feet dealing with a huge work load. On the wards, it wasn't uncommon for nurses to be asked to work double shifts. I know the Government has begun to recognise the problem and put more money into the Health Service. When the benefit of that money reaches the front line services, it will be very welcome, but it's only a first step and we all know more is needed.

I suppose if we're honest, it's down to all of us. How much are we really prepared to pay for our public services? If the answer is "not a lot" then, as so often in life, we will get the service that we pay for and we shouldn't be surprised if in the end the goodwill and dedication wear out and staff move on to easier and more lucrative jobs.

Do people want more money spent of health - and will voters pay?

Politicions at the moment are convinced that no one wants to pay any more than they do in taxes, and more taxes would mean fewer votes. Fewer votes would mean no-one gets re-elected. That's how democracy works. Politicians respond to you, the voters, to provide what you want so they get re-elected. If you don't want to pay any more money, then all they can do is move money around, setting different priorities. You can achieve quite a bit doing that, but there are limits and more money in one area means less money in another.

So in the long term, it may really be up to us. Have the politicians got the message right?

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