Monday's Letters: Ease the boundaries restricting NHS dentistry

In 2009, the owners of a two-surgery NHS dental practice in Bridlington – that's us, by the way – decided the time was right to make a substantial investment in new premises, and so we moved just down

the road to a brand new, state-of-the-art surgery, and took on four new dentists – and all of them providing purely NHS treatment.

Four new dentists means new places for patients. Lots of them. Simple right? You'd think so. East Yorkshire had, for several years, been one of those "black holes" for NHS dentists. People couldn't get one for love nor money. But it appears to have gone full circle now.

It's now April 2010 and we still have places for NHS patients. Lots of them. So we thought, why not widen our search? Everyone can remember the queues around the block in Scarborough – just half an hour up the road – when a new NHS dentist opened a few years ago. It was headline news.

Hence we started targeting the Scarborough, Malton and Whitby areas – all of which currently suffer from a dearth of NHS dentists (just like Bridlington used to – remember?) So we did the posters, the leaflets, the same legwork as in Bridlington. We then made a friendly suggestion to the powers-that-be in that particular region that they might want to consider contacting some people living on the North Yorkshire/East Yorkshire borders, to see if they'd be interested in having a place at a Bridlington practice.

OK, it would be a little bit further to travel, but surely a common sense solution, with the NHS "working together", would benefit everyone. Our suggestion, sadly, wasn't met with much enthusiasm.

This is not intended as a party political broadcast – just a plea for common sense. We're NHS dentists and all we want to do is look after people's teeth.

So please tell us, Mr Brown, what message does this give to the families, the toddlers and the pensioners who are desperate for an NHS dentist but not able to register with a practice which would love to have them? No doubt it's "not that simple" and there are "complex boundary and commissioning issues" to consider.

Maybe it's a question for Mr Cameron or even now, given his rocketing popularity, Mr Clegg? Whoever gets their teeth into sorting this problem gets our vote. When all is said and done, it really is that simple. Forget boundaries, we're just one NHS – aren't we?

From: Dr M van Reij and Dr R Ilyas, Practice Principals, VI Dental Centre, Quay Road, Bridlington.

Sense and democracy may prevail

From: Ian Barnes, Blake Court, Wheldrake, York.

I HAVE read Bernard Dineen's column for years and I cannot remember ever agreeing with any of his views, although sometimes his Right-wing rants could be amusing. However, I was absolutely appalled by his comments regarding the leaders' debates on the TV (Yorkshire Post, April 26).

He obviously does not like the democratic process, to suggest Lib Dems should not have a voice smacks of fascism.

The whole idea of democracy is to allow candidates to have a voice and for the people to decide who to vote for after listening to their points of view. So are you saying there are only two parties in this country and it's the Tories' turn? Bernard Dineen must be worried sick that his beloved Tories are not likely to gain power.

In the various TV debates, Nick Clegg and Vince Cable have convinced a lot of voters that there is a third choice and no doubt those same people are tired of the failed policies of Labour and the Tories. If the Tories' policies are so fantastic and hold water, people would vote for them, so where is your problem Mr Dineen?

Sorry, Mr Dineen, we are heading for a hung parliament, where common sense may prevail and hopefully proportional representation will be brought in, so we can then say we are a democracy and not have governments in power who do not reflect the majority view of the British people.

From: Tom Howley, Marston Way, Wetherby.

THE Labour Government has looked after the country's pensioners. This year I was offered insulation to my house loft and cavity walls; enduring the dreadful winter, I was grateful for the fuel allowance and for the offer of a grant towards the replacement of my central heating boiler.

The free bus pass has been my passage for travelling to fascinating destinations and has given me the pleasure of seeing old friends and shopping in areas previously unknown.

Free monthly medical prescriptions have monitored a blood pressure problem and regular examinations by my GP have ensured that a constant check has been kept on my wellbeing.

During the cold dark evenings I have sat in warmth and comfort watching top-class BBC television programmes and listened to the radio's variety of music, drama, news and current affairs, once again without needing to pay a licence fee.

Margaret Thatcher's Tories broke the link between the state pension and earnings and this cruel act resulted in the pension losing value of about 30 a week. Labour will reinstate the protection in 2012.

Pensioners should vote Labour to safeguard the benefits which the present government introduced. Don't let Cameron's Conservatives take them away.

From: Mrs Jennifer Hunter, Farfield Avenue, Knaresborough,.

IN his letter (Yorkshire Post, April 13), David Wright states that we should now be campaigning for an English Parliament.

There is, in fact, The Campaign for an English Parliament, a single-issue campaign group which attracts support from right across the political spectrum.

Having observed the general attitude of many Westminster MPs towards the electorate, as well as their overt reluctance to listen to the opinions of the people of England, it is highly likely thatif St George and other crusaders were alive today, they would be as disillusioned as I am regarding the lack of English democracy.

The pastures of our green and pleasant land have, over the years, nurtured various self-seeking, ambitious political seeds which have sometimes matured into verdures of greed and arrogance.

Furthermore, the people of England have cultivated sufficient home-grown despotic crops, and do not require any further horticultural assistance from those outside its boundaries at a political level.

From: JW Buckley, Aketon, Pontefract.

PHILIP Smith (Yorkshire Post, April 20) says he cannot believe the Tories are serious about people power. Why be so negative? The Tories say this is the thing of significance in this election.

Why not take them up on it? Yes, it means abolishing Whips and letting MPs vote in the best interests of their constituents. Until this happens, the majority of what is said in this election is just hot air. So I say: yes Tories, you have said people power, and that is the

one thing we want. You will deliver.

A victim of the media pack

From: John Marshall, Cold Bath Road, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

I AM not a Labour Party supporter but expect that I am not alone in feeling uneasy about the way Gordon Brown was "set up" by the media during his recent visit to Rochdale (Yorkshire Post, March 29).

One can criticise his answers (and non-answers) to Gillian Duffy's legitimate questions but presumably he thought he was having a private conversation with a colleague when he returned to his car.

Instead, his thoughts were relayed to the whole country

and probably further afield via the media pack gathering nearby.

Of course, Gordon Brown made a serious error in this matter but the sanctimonious media don't come up smelling of roses either.

Wrong word

From: C Balmer, Victoria Gardens, Hull.

NICK Clegg would do well to read the article by Fiona Evans (Yorkshire Post, April 19) about the "Time to Change" campaign by Frank Bruno and others. He might have chosen his words more carefully in the public debate on April 22. When politicians use the derogatory slang for an illness or disability as a put down or insult they also insult the people who do have the condition, adding to the sum of suffering, and perpetuate the stigma.

I doubt Mr Clegg would use words like spastic, mongol or retard. Why does he think it is all right to call people nutters?

Political faith

From: Craig Anderson, Gypsy Lane, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.

ACCORDING to the Office of National Statistics, 84 per cent of Britons have a religion, and yet the Liberal Democrat leader shamelessly confessed to the nation in a recent televised debate that he isn't "into faith". Let me ask how a politician can lead a country with a population of so many different faiths without any understanding of faith. Of this vast majority of the population, 88 per cent are Christian, so is it not time to stand by our beliefs rather than have an atheist trying to lead the country?

Sleep therapy

From: Michael Stephen Mycroft, Wilton, Pickering, North Yorkshire.

I'M so very sorry that they're not continuing with the leadership debate, I have found them very therapeutic, sending me off to sleep very easily and quickly. They all remind me very much of Bill and Ben the flower pot men, and weed, and I'll leave you to guess who is who.