Fixating on the virus puts other patients at risk

sir – Having been a GP for more than 30 years, I see the world rather differently from the Government’s advisers.

While I can understand the shortterm requirement to limit social gatherings to six people, I worry that we are beginning to lose our grip on reality. If we continue to adopt a narrow approach to health, focusing on just one disease, the consequences for the broader well-being of the population will be profound.

To save us from Covid-19, more people will now die from cancer and heart disease; others will suffer chronic pain and disability due to delayed hip and knee replacements, and many will be dogged by long-term anxiety and depression.

The Government urgently needs to draw on a broader range of clinical advice, and to engage the public better in its decision-making. It is blindingly obvious that we are going to have to live under the shadow of

Covid-19 for the foreseeable future. Making vague promises about Christmas or mass testing convinces no one and simply damages trust and credibility.

Dr Nick Summerton

Brough, East Yorkshire

sir – RG James (Letters, September 15) describes Britain’s health service as the worst in Europe, adding that, in Antwerp, he can obtain a next-day appointment with his GP for a non-urgent matter.

However, while it appears that our National Health Service may be far from “national”, there are still pockets of excellence. At my surgery in King’s Lynn, we are able to see the doctor the same day. And on Tuesday, I sat on a panel judging awards for personnel at our local hospital. The tales of dedication and sacrifice were heartwarming.

Richard JC English

King’s Lynn, Norfolk