Devon Partnership Trust

may I thank your correspondent Peter Leggatt of Devon Partnership Trust for his letter Much-needed role performed by Staff Echo Letters February 19. However, he fails to understand the dilemma which the Partnership now faces.I fully agree with him when he says 'we are doing all we can to ensure that we have sufficient resources in place to provide excellent services and meet the mental health needs of the county' but surely the resource to which he refers, namely Devon County Council Staff, should never be working for the Partnership, part of our National Health Service, and yet paid for by the Council Tax payer. They must be paid for by the Partnership. We know the financial problems faced by the Partnership, they were well documented by the Echo last year, yet my council taxes must never be used within the Health services.I have long held the view that there should be integration of Social Services and the National Health Service, but on the basis that Social Services Staff transfer directly to the NHS and are funded by the NHS, not the Council Tax payer.