Heart team show their dedication

IN April 2013, I suffered a heart attack and was admitted to my local hospital. I was subsequently transferred to a larger hospital and seen by heart specialists, who advised after several tests that I was considered unsuitable for any of the treatments on offer. I was then sent home with appropriate medication.

While watching the BBC1 television programme 
Helicopter Heroes there was 
a lady who had suffered a heart attack and was being taken to hospital in Leeds. I thought I heard the team refer to a trial of a new treatment to unblock multiple blocked blood vessels and the patient asked if she 
would care to volunteer for treatment.

Under the mistaken apprehension that this treatment was available and may help my own situation, I wrote to the Cardiology Unit at Leeds General Infirmary to volunteer for the treatment.

Can you imagine my surprise when the day after posting the letter I received a telephone 
call from a member of the 
team on Coronary Care at the hospital?

The team had taken the time to read and discuss my letter although I had misheard the information.

The person who spoke to me showed great understanding, concern and a willingness to help in any way possible.

My reason for writing to you is to pass on my thanks to the Coronary Care team at the Leeds General Infirmary and to say that the people of Leeds and surrounding areas are so lucky to have such a caring and dedicated team of people.

I would say that this team have the X-Factor!

Pensioners in firing line

From: DS Boyes, Rodley Lane, Leeds.

AS Labour comes out of the shadows at last to make tentative proposals for the nation’s finances in the unlikely event that they win the 2015 election, isn’t it wonderful that the main plank of the Shadow Chancellor’s plans are for Labour to victimise, yet again, old age pensioners by imposing some arbitrary cap on state pension provision?

It may be news to messrs Balls and Miliband, but state pension is the core retirement income for millions of ordinary people who have done ordinary jobs and paid tax and National Insurance while working for 40 odd years in industry, with if they are lucky, a small occupational or personal pension as well plus modest savings in the building society.

Even in retirement, OAPs pay loads of tax, both direct and indirect, with much of their meagre pension going straight back to the Treasury anyway. If Labour really mean what they say, why not attack the real welfare scroungers, i.e. MPs, peers of the realm, local councillors, local authority bureaucrats, quangocrats etc, by changing their pensions from “index linked final salary” to “defined contribution” ones and means test all these people before paying them anything?

Cancer claim is alarmist

From: Don Burslam, Elm Road, Dewsbury Moor, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

THE statement that by 2020, one half of the population can expect to get cancer at some time in their lives is alarmist. It is also extremely dubious and speculative statistically.

I suppose we should be now be used to these sweeping pronouncements on the health of the nation. There was a similar one put out a few years ago about our mental health. I would like to ask what is the point of spreading such alarm and despondency? How can ordinary folk be expected to take effective precautions beyond the obvious ones of not smoking and taking more exercise?

I am afraid the media loves giving prominence to such scaremongering. If the threat to our health is so palpable, we have a National Health Service which we pay for to look after our health. Instead of spreading alarm in such an irresponsible way, those who put out these statements would be better employed making representations to those who can take effective action. Stirring up groundless concerns should not be encouraged by the media.

Undone by sheer greed

From: Peter Hyde, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

I HONESTLY begin to wonder at the intelligence of our Members of Parliament, who allow themselves to be duped by newspaper reporters purporting to be lobbyists from some foreign country wanting to pay to have their interests preferred by Parliament. What kind of man or woman who is able to get the public to vote for them is so dumb as to be taken in by these newspapers?

There is only one answer and that is greed. The lure of extra cash for doing the job they are already well paid for is the undoing of quite senior politicians. They are already grabbing extra cash by acting as consultants.

The only way to stop this 
blatant avarice is to ban all MPs from talking to any lobbyist without the express consent of the respective party leader and such meetings should be accurately recorded and made subject to random scrutiny by the Parliamentary Standards Committee.