YP Letters: Inept Labour left us with mess of NHS

NOTWITHSTANDING his rather rose-tinted memories of the NHS 30 or 40 years ago, much of what Raymond Knight (The Yorkshire Post, January 24) says about the role of GPs is perfectly valid.

Actually, apart from giving GPs massive pay rises without making them work any harder, the then Labour government did something else which crippled hospital budgets – namely they allowed ambulance-chasing law firms to advertise.

The result is that hospital trusts now have to set aside millions of pounds – which would be much better spent on patient care – on insuring themselves against law suits for alleged negligence.

With at least three regulatory bodies, and generally amateur CCGs to cope with, the job of hospital administrators is not for the faint-hearted. As a former hospital governor, it always amazed me that anyone would want to take on such a thankless task.

The idea that doctors and nurses should run hospitals, possibly assisted by a filing clerk, is, however, just fanciful nonsense. The NHS needs full time clinicians not part-time clerks.

My son, who is a senior specialist nurse, would be horrified if they asked him to help run his hospital – quite rightly, he resents being asked to do any administration work not directly linked to patient care.

The fact is that this country has been saddled with a nationalised health service which, from day one, it could not afford as well as a welfare state, introduced by the post-war Labour government, which, given its head, would consume every scrap of our Gross National Product.

I cannot believe that anyone would seriously elect such a historically inept and spendthift Labour party into power, ever again.

From: A Hague, Bellbrooke Grove, Harehills, Leeds.

RE missed hospital appointments. The answer is simple enough. Use a diary and enter these visits and birthdays etc which I do. I also use it for addresses and phone numbers on the spare pages at the back.

Who will get the money?

From: J Hutchinson, Kirbymoorside.

IF the family allowance is increased, what guarantee is there that the extra money will be used for the benefit of children in need and not their carers?

Bridge too far for the North

From: Coun Tim Mickleburgh (Lab), Boulevard Avenue, Grimsby.

BORIS Johnson’s plans for a bridge across the English Channel are symptomatic of a Government that is prioritising investment in the South. Indeed latest figures show that London is getting five times as much spent per head on transport than Yorkshire.

So we still have the nodding donkeys (Pacers) on some routes, no direct service from Grimsby/ Cleethorpes to London and trains that have only changed livery over the years. Perhaps when they have to renovate the Houses of Parliament our politicians should move to accommodation in the North – and then they’d see the double standards when it comes to public services.

Tests really do save lives

From: Edward Grainger, Botany Way, Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough.

THE reported start of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week and the corresponding appeal by Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust on the importance of women called to attend smear tests comes appropriately at the beginning of the year.

I watched helpfully as my wife lost her personal battle with this form of cancer, because despite attending regular smear tests, she had ignored early symptoms and as a result paid the price of her neglect and her silence. Had the disease been caught early her death and that of many other women could have been avoided.

I am therefore grateful to The Yorkshire Post, accepting that the smear test is not always conclusive, to plead for all Yorkshire women to keep all appointments, and respond to the first signs of a possible change to the cervix.

Parents must police the net

From: Steve Oversby, Director, Barnardo’s East Region

A RECENT YouGov study for Barnardo’s found that barely half of adults who were going to buy internet connected presents for children would check who the youngsters are communicating with online.

Barnardo’s has long been calling to make the internet safer and for parents to be more aware of mobile technology children are using and who they’re talking to online. Our concern is that the digital revolution is enabling the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and young people via the internet and mobile devices.

We are not saying ‘don’t allow your children to enjoy these toys or devices’, but we are urging parents and relatives to ensure their children are as safe as possible by ensuring privacy settings are at maximum and that they monitor who their child is communicating with.

Lost firms

From: ME Wright, Harrogate.

YOUR correspondent Dave Croucher states that those at the bottom of the Carillion pile might well receive nothing but their P45s. He’s probably right, but let’s remember also the small, sub-contractor, reputable family businesses which might well be lost to their communities.