MY complaint that my GP had acted perhaps too high-handedly in referring me to a private company for a particular routine test appears to have struck home.

I had been referred to InHealth, a private company, which I only discovered when I was suddenly contacted by a call centre in Cheshire acting on behalf of the company.

I sent an email to my GP pointing out that I was not in favour of the growing privatisation of the NHS and could I please be referred to my local hospital, UCH. I mentioned this last week in my column.

When I rang the GP this week about another matter, a doctor asked – in a faintly alarmed voice: “You are not ringing about your email, are you?”

When I assured her that I wasn’t she said the surgery was looking into whether they could refer me to UCH.

I thanked her.