The Government has got itself into an extraordinary mess over the health service. A huge amount of extra money has gone into the NHS over the last few years and yet, in Oxfordshire, we are facing a funding deficit of £82m.

It would be easy to blame our local NHS managers for mismanaging the funds. However, it is becoming clearer by the day that this is a national issue.

The biggest question on everybody's lips is where has all this extra money gone?

Some has undoubtedly gone into the pockets of doctors and nurses. Most of us would not begrudge the extra cash for nurses, who are not among the best paid.

It is hard to believe that salary increases account for all the money, or that they are at the root of the huge deficits being built up across the nation.

The NHS is facing a major financial crisis that raises fundamental questions about the nature and scale of public funding. Can the nation afford the demands we now impose on the NHS? We could be standing at a turning point in its history.