Letters July 21: A reality check for Jeremy Hunt on life as NHS consultant

DOES Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt realise how the NHS works in hospitals (The Yorkshire Post, July 16)? Doctors train for five years and qualify at the age of 23 years. They then train in their specialty for at least a further 10 years, being in hospitals all week and also on rota during weekends.

Then they may become a consultant supervising these so called “junior” doctors, again over the weekend on a rota basis as well as working from Monday to Friday in the hospital for as long as they are needed during these days. The consultant must live within easy distance of the hospital so that he/she can get there easily if the other doctors need his expertise.

Do they really have to be forced to be in the hospital for their weekend on call? If so, how can the training doctors ever be capable of attaining consultant status if they are never allowed to make decisions?

Wise up, Mr Hunt, and get yourself a week with a NHS consultant to find out what they actually do instead of issuing headline-grabbing soundbites.

From: H Marjorie Gill, Clarence Drive, Menston.

REALLY I don’t see that the Government should have to deal with the problem of loneliness. This is a local problem and most people might be able to help themselves.

Count your blessings, think how many are worse off than you such as earthquake victims and those subject to terror attacks. Can you give help to another person, baby sitting perhaps? Visit your local church and you will usually find instant friends. Offer to go round collecting for charities. Visit the local library to see if there are any activities you might join. Remember two old sayings – “God helps people who help themselves”, and also “laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone.”

From: Robert Bottamley, Hedon.

ACCORDING to the Prime Minister, industrial action taken by nurses, teachers or train drivers cannot be justified because millions of people affected had no opportunity to vote on the question. I cannot recall a politician making so puerile a case for depriving employees of the fundamental right to withdraw their labour.

And this argument (if it can be dignified with the description) from a Government that has appointed countless ministers who were never elected at all. Who had an opportunity to vote for them?