Why is it now so stupidly hard to see a doctor?
ONCE upon a time, if you needed to see a doctor you went to your local surgery, where you were given a number in the queue. The waiting room might be full and the wait long, but at least you saw a doctor eventually.
Now you have to phone a call centre, where the operator tries to give you an appointment in a week’s time. If you persuade them to put your call through to the surgery, you are told the doctor will call you back.
You then wait by the phone for hours, not daring to be out of earshot. When the doctor does finally call and you describe your affliction, you may be fortunate enough to get an appointment — with the practice nurse, not the doctor.
Or the GP will write a prescription based on what you have told him. Not quite the face-to-face, hands-on diagnosis you wanted.
We need to get rid of this triage approach and return to the age- old system that worked for the benefit of patients.
R. J. PIDGEON, Waterlooville, Hants.
This isn’t progress
THE doctor’s surgery was once run on a first- come, first- seen basis. There would be 24 patients sitting in the waiting room and another six standing in the hallway. When the buzzer went, the next person in the queue would knock on the doctor’s door.
The doctor would find your hand-written file, examine you and write a prescription with his fountain pen.
Any cuts would be dressed, he would make hospital appointments by phone, attend home visits day or night and was responsible for all home births in the district. That was how I was brought into the world.
There were no computers, receptionists or practice nurses when the NHS began in 1948.
Nowadays, I have to ring at 8am to get an appointment in a fortnight’s time to see a doctor or go to A&E.
JAMES M. BARRETT, Wolverhampton, W. Mids.
A new MPs’ scandal
TEN years after the MPs’ expenses scandal, we learn that since 2015 no fewer than 377 Honourable Members have had their official credit card suspended for breach of the rules.
It’s happened twice to a Cabinet minister, as well as to the Leader of the Opposition. Still, only nine have had it suspended more than ten times in the past three years.
It’s time these credit cards were removed, as it is obvious MPs can’t be trusted with money, just as they can’t be trusted to keep their manifesto promises.
BRIAN FORD, Rainham, Essex. MPs’ stewardship of our taxes has been called into question.
Their inability to tell the difference between work-related and private expenditure is nothing short of disgraceful. Serial offenders are stupid, deceitful or acting in a fraudulent manner.
They should be dealt with by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, with fines starting at £500 and increasing for each breach of the rules, leading to disbarment from office for gross misconduct.
Politicians don’t seem to care when it’s taxpayers’ money. Yet another reason, if one was needed, to vote out these self- serving idiots at the next General Election and replace them with people from outside the world of politics.
SIMON SMITH, Margate, Kent.
Policing lesson
AS A former police officer in some of the busiest parts of London for more than 30 years, our remedy for post-traumatic stress was the pub — and then we would get on with the next job.
I would suggest that today’s issues with PTSD in the police force are down to a lack of training in how to use common sense to deal with situations, the promotion of senior officers without any experience of life and too much time spent on paperwork.
Though we did not have the technical aids that officers have today, we did a pretty good job.
A. SLATER, Willingham, Cambs.
What we want to watch
AT LEAST the royal baby has given us some relief from the tedious, divisive TV news coverage about Brexit and man-made global warming.
The emotional and, at times, humorous TV shows The All New Monty: Who Bares Wins and Ladies Night gave much-needed respite with their life-preserving messages about how to check yourself for signs of cancer.
Let’s have more of these meaningful programmes and less of those concerned with political point- scoring and the births of lower-ranking royals.
GEOFF NEAUM, Heydon, Cambs.
Educating Archie
THE latest addition to the Royal Family has his life mapped out.
Now that he has become part of the hier-Archie, in a few years’ time a school will be entrusted with educating Archie.
At university, he will read Archie-ology or Archie-tecture.
In his time in the Armed Forces, he will he ordered to quick m-Archie. And afterwards he will have a career in advertising with S-Archie & S-Archie! JOHN WHAPSHOTT,
Westbury, Wilts. WILL it be Eton, Harrow or Peter Brough who will be charged with Educating Archie?
BILLY GATES, Rainham, Essex. ARCHIE HARRISON? Sounds like a good name for a standup comedian.
L. E. WORDEN, Ringwood, Hants. MY HEART goes out to the royal newborn. What a future he faces: unlikely a king or even a prince, though forever an upgrade. DOUG JENNINGS,
Mickleton, Glos.
Perils of a superfan
AS A Manchester City fan, with a great team, great manager and great fans, I was sure that this year we’d make it to the Champions League final in Madrid.
To avoid being ripped off by the travel industry if I waited to book once we had qualified, in December, I decided to book flights and a decent hotel for May 31 until June 2.
Travelling business class, I was charged £750, which is thousands of pounds less than the going rate now. All was going well with my plan — until we were knocked out by Spurs. OK, there’s always next year. I will be in Madrid in a few weeks’ time, quietly thinking what might have been!
EDDIE STEEL, Bacup, Lancs.