The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Elderly at the mercy of faceless bureaucrats
Sir, – I read with admiration the view expressed by Dr Kristien Hintjens in The Courier on February 6 (“Patients and doctors ‘not being listened to’,”) with her concern for the future of health services in Angus.
I have lived in Angus for 52 years, and in working and married life, have been closely involved with the provision of health and social care.
I have been grateful for the excellent support that my family and I have received from our local GP practice, and watched with dismay the erosion to their services by the burden of increasing bureaucracy.
Now, in my 82nd year, I think the arguments put forward by NHS Tayside regarding what they say people want for future health provision in this area is deliberately distorted.
Of course people will say they would prefer not to be admitted to hospital, but they may not understand the implications of admission to a teaching hospital some distance from home. For the frail elderly the need to be near family and friends may often be far more important than access to the latest medical techniques.
For those staying in their own homes and reliant on social care, this is proving to be minimal and rushed as cuts are made to that service, however good the caseworkers are.
The closure of the Mulberry mental health unit was a shocking decision, especially as there was a clear majority of the public in favour of keeping it open.
It is becoming the norm for unidentifiable civil servants to state that the views of the public, together with GPs and health workers, have been listened to,when it is obviously not the case, and financial considerations alone have decided the outcome.
As I become older and maybe less capable of making decisions, I dread leaving my wellbeing in the hands of anonymous bureaucrats.
Ann Keddie. 16 Sharpe Place, Montrose.