MY partner Gill Parry died from complications due to motor neurone disease on September 26 in Arrowe Park Hospital.

From the first time she first sought medical help in the summer of 2016 to her diagnosis in December of that year and through to the time she died, Gill received excellent care from NHS staff.

This included the Walton Centre and Aintree Hospital in Liverpool and Arrowe Park Hospital here in Wirral.

This high standard of care was matched by NHS staff in the community, including Speech and Language Therapy, the Nutrition and Dietetics service and the district nurses.

The outstanding level of skill and professionalism was accompanied by great humanity and dedication.

Our NHS staff operate in an organisation facing nearly £1billion cuts in Merseyside and Cheshire.

At the same time we hear how the rich hide their fortunes offshore to dodge paying their taxes.

Besides huge cuts our NHS is being privatised.

Despite what they say the government is intent on creating a United States style insurance based system.

I dread to think what the bill would have been for Gill's care over the last 18 months if we had lived in the United States.

The 2012 health and Social Care Act and the subsequent introduction of the Sustainability and Transformation Plans and the US-inspired Accountable Care Organisations are the vehicles for cuts and privatisation.

We can however halt this destruction of our NHS. Local authorities have the power to stop the STPs.

You can ask your local councillors three straight forward questions; are you opposed to STPs and ACOs, do you support the 2015 NHS Reinstatement Bill and one of the several NHS campaigning organisations.

When Gill was dying I promised her I wouldn’t let the powers that be destroy our NHS. Help me keep my promise.

Frank McEntaggart, Upton.