Is this the view you would expect?

Editor News editor Assistant news editor I was shocked but not surprised to recently receive an invitation to sign a 38 Degrees petition regarding the TPS changes to the NHS.

An extract from 38 Degrees’ email reads: “The government isn’t funding our NHS properly, so today NHS bosses announced Plan B: less treatment.”

It goes on to divulge waits for hip, knee, cataract and other operations will be longer, along with other cuts.

Does this mean waiting for months and months while in severe pain?

I was, however, both shocked and extremely dismayed to open a response to my email to Healthwatch Kent in which I had asked for its views on the changes/ rationing being proposed for the NHS services in Kent.

I will let your readers form their own view after reading the following extract: “The CCG visited our West Kent volunteers at the end of October to highlight the need for these changes.

“The focus of this discussion was around improving outcomes for patients by encouraging them to embark on lifestyle changes such as stop smoking and losing weight which would then enable them to recover from surgery better.

“Any patients deemed to be urgent would continue to be seen, as would those who already had operations booked. Our volunteers clearly understood the difficult financial position the CCG is in and felt comfortable with these changes to surgery.”

Is this the unquestioning view you would expect from an organisation that claims to be independent, or maybe not as it is government funded via KCC? It is so reassuring to know how well represented we are by this totally unelected body which also claims to be “patients champion”.

It didn’t even let us know what has been going on. Tony Monk Westerhill Road, Coxheath Many thanks to Maidstone A&E for the efficient and speedy way they treated my wife last month. And the staff, although so busy, couldn’t have been kinder. One hears so much criticism of the NHS these days, but that was certainly not the case at Maidstone Hospital. I feel both thankful and proud they are there for us – and without fuss or charge, as would be the case in many countries.

Please don’t ever shut Maidstone A&E; Pembury is just too far away from the County Town when needed in a hurry. Malcolm Hayes The Hawthorns, Aylesford tipping of vehicle parts, furniture and other detritus. Cllr Marion Ring Chairman, communities, housing and environment committee.

I completely agree with Hilary Moon’s letter last week that the A249 is the worst example of litter that I have seen in Kent, but that doesn’t mean other roads are litterfree.

I live in a very rural area and have been out collecting litter, on the same stretch of road, twice in the past two weeks. It was a relatively short distance, probably half a mile.

Both times I collected a completely full bin liner of rubbish, so heavy I could hardly carry it home.

Highways have recently put up anti-litter signs at the entrance to motorway slip roads. Will they do any good? I doubt it, they just add to the signage on our roads.

I would suggest Highways lead by example. Last week I was one of not, despite the representations of many, including myself.

We have one last opportunity to persuade the planning inspector to further modify his report on the emerging local plan through the final consultation process. Residents have until 5pm on May 19 to respond and can do so at https:// tinyurl.com/plancons

Fant Farm has proved the strength of local voices. Let us use them once again for the best interests of the wider Maidstone community.