I WOULD imagine that Heather Smith, County Councillor for Evenwood, has all the right credentials to speak about the NHS (HAS, Apr 18).

She has spent many years working in the NHS as a paediatric doctor and consultant.

I would imagine that the families and children she has cared for neither knew or cared that she was a member of the Labour Party.

I would have more time for Jim Tague if he had thanked her for all her public service instead of trying and failing to score cheap political points by pointing out that she features on a leaflet promoting Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Bishop Auckland, Helen Goodman.

Jennifer Moore, Bishop Auckland.