Real cause of long queues to see a GP

LONG queues to see your GP are not due to financial cuts. Billions of our pounds have been given to the Health Service (The Yorkshire Post, June 23).

In 2004, the Labour government gave GPs over £100,000 each to work a 10 session week; and they do not need to cover weekends or nights. Most are privately employed.

Nearly all GPs are part timers. Their salaries per session are so high that most doctors can live comfortably on about £80,000 a year.

In a typical surgery of, say, six GPs caring for 10,000 patients (ie.1,600 each), they could have 60 sessions a week, but most surgeries only have 40 sessions out of a possible 60. No night work or weekend work.

Their patients become ill anytime in a 24 hour period. The GP is the first line of call for the patients on their register.

The main reason why you find delays in seeing your GP easily is because they are all part-timers.

Doctors need to think back to when they first started to study medicine. To care for your patients day and night. We do not want any more part-time doctors.

Of wasps and litter bins

From: Dick Appleyard, Saxilby, Near Lincoln.

AT this time of year when it is a nice hot, sunny day, you might be thinking about an outing to somewhere and taking a packed lunch with you.

Then, at lunchtime, you might decide to sit on a public seat in a public place to eat your lunch. You might find at least one or two public seats have a litter bin placed next to the seats.

Local councils should never place litter bins next to seats because lots of wasps get into the bins which could bother the occupants of the public seats.

I find it is better to occupy a seat that hasn’t got a litter bin next to it for this reason.

Crime and punishment

From: Brian H Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

I AGREE wholeheartedly with ME Wright ( The Yorkshire Post June 23) that it is unfair that a policeman with a 25 year exemplary record should lose his job, pension rights and reputation for a first offence.

Surely the heavy fine and lengthy disqualification would have been commensurate withe the crime. The police, like the Armed Forces (I am mindful of Marine A’s more tragic transgression) are rightly expected to be whiter than white in professional matters but the treatment of DCI Dave Knopwood is downright cruel.

Research suggests that driving while using a mobile phone is even more dangerous than drink-driving. Like joyriders, uninsured and speeding motorists, offenders get off with a slap on the wrist.

A Yorkshire prophecy

From: M Fell, Walton Road, Upton, Pontefract.

I HAVE read over the past 
few weeks of the subject of 
where Richard III should be reburied. I personally think Yorkshire.

I have a book on Yorkshire
 and for me the following sums it up:

“London streets shall run with blood

And at last shall sink,

So that it shall be fulfilled,

That Lincoln was,

London is,

And York shall be the finest city of the three.”

This is a prophecy by Nixon the Cheshire Merlin, taken from the book.

Madness on
bunting

From: Mr S B Oliver, 
Churchill Grove, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire.

the story about the knitted bunting in Masham (The Yorkshire Post, June 20) has exposed the stupid mentality and mindset of some of the people that are in control of our local decision-making and spending.

Jeremy Banyard (The Yorkshire Post, June 26) is right to criticise North Yorkshire County Council over this, but he is being over-generous by calling the persons responsible idiots; they should be sectioned into a secure area away from any access to council property, funds or, worse still, meetings.

To think that people’s hard-earned council tax money is being managed by such fools is quite alarming.

I wonder if these same fools have thought to put contingency plans in place if ever there should be an incident where a large bird chooses to sit on one of these “flimsy” lights?

Would they have to cordon off the public from the area around the light and then remove it when the bird then flies off – only to land on another light?

Well done,
Premier

From: Susan Dennis,
 Laverton, Ripon.

i FULLY support David Cameron’s actions over the choice of Jean-Claude Juncker to be president of the European Commission. At least Mr Cameron had the courage to express his opposition for everyone to hear, not like others in Europe whispering behind hands and closed doors.