We suffer when red tape gets in the way

AS someone who was lucky to use health and social care to a minimum I have experienced the good and bad of public services. The hospital care in the National Spinal Unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital has been very good as physical and mental rehab helps me to return home to family and work.

However, social care has been a huge disappointment. From day one hospital and social care contacts have tried to manage my expectations as low as is possible by insisting adaptations, if any are accepted, would be late.

Despite opening my home to all relevant professionals in the hope of expediting installation, and funding being approved it has taken me over five months fighting council bureaucracy to make the necessary changes.

This is the experience for all patients in the spinal unit across all councils in Scotland who have suffered physical traumatic injuries which increases their mental health trauma.

Many have paid out five figure sums to get home while others go to general hospital wards or care homes to wait.

I suspect thousands are in accommodation that does not match their needs.

For myself how do I fight this? I have an SNP MSP and councillor who have signed an agreement to never criticise party and colleagues.

My council is controlled by the SNP and the SNP government in Holyrood has cut the block grant to Glasgow and frozen council tax depriving social care of funds. Politicians, bloggers and columnists talk about “social justice” but contribute little. Meanwhile myself and thousands suffer across the country.

Alan Kinnear, left

People are allowed to demonstrate but the recent demonstrations by football fans, and the recent Manchester debacle needs to be put into perspective.

Thousands of working class folk demonstrating about a proposed super league and ownership of clubs.

Fair enough, they have a point.

However, we have huge problems with homelessness, an NHS that is still vastly underfunded, child poverty and other serious social problems. I would dear love to see the same level of passion in demanding social justice than demonstrating outside a football stadium full of overpaid prima donnas and club executives who live on a different planet. MA

What a performance by Rangers on Sunday. Well done to the team, who made light work of Celtic. There have been disappointments this season, but Stevie G deserves so much credit.