Time to face up to the reality of NHS in Wales
I DO not want to criticise the medical staff who are working so hard to keep the NHS afloat in such difficult times. However, as a former GP and a current patient, it seems to me there has been a reluctance for many years among politicians in Cardiff (and Westminster) to acknowledge how bad the Welsh NHS has become. These problems have been building up for many years and have not been caused by the pandemic, although this has made matters worse.
What I see around me in the Betsi Cadwaladr area are :
GP surgeries which try to keep their patients at arm’s length with recorded messages advising them to go elsewhere or directing them to websites – even though many older patients don’t have smartphones or computers.
Patients queueing to phone when the surgery opens and competing for a limited numbers of appointments and having to try again the next day. If they are lucky enough to be given an appointment it may not be for a week or more. Understandably, they go to A&E and add to the pressure there. I sympathise with the A&E staff who are having to deal with problems normally dealt with by GPs and their practice nurses. Ironically, there is an alternative private GP service which will welcome them with open arms – if they have the money.
Many young GPs work part-time and never intend to work full-time for the NHS, even though Britishtrained doctors have their medical school fees paid by the taxpayers. Some of these young doctors can be found working as private GPs.
Video consultations instead of face to face. Rather risky, in my opinion.
Ambulances are parked outside
A&E for hours and unavailable to go to emergencies like fractured hips and strokes. Distressed children wait far too long to be seen by CAMHS (the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service). By the time a child is referred they are often in dire straits.
Waiting lists to see NHS specialists get longer and longer. More and more patients can’t wait and pay to go privately. These private patients are not necessarily rich but are luckier than all those who can’t afford it at all. For many years we believed our free NHS was “the envy of the world”. Other European and Commonwealth countries now pity us and wonder how we allowed our health service to get into such a mess. If we are going to have a health service that works, we need our politicians in Cardiff to put aside their party political differences and work together with open minds to rebuild a Welsh NHS we can be proud of. I suggest over the next six months they look at healthcare in other countries and see what is successful elsewhere and report back to the Senedd. A quick fix is not what we need.
Dr Chris Madoc-Jones Denbigh
The offline should not be excluded
I HAVE written to the Echo on several occasions regarding the ongoing assumption that we all have or want personal access to the internet, where in fact we do not.
I was therefore pleased to see that I am not the only one irritated by this assumption, and I was heartened to read the letter from Mr NG Williams of Abergavenny on October 18 (“Some have no access to a website”).
Imagine, therefore, my frustration when I read a long article in the
Echo talking about the proposed improvement in bus services, and then saying that “the Council wants your views on improving bus services in the capital” and that all you have to do is complete a short survey – online. No alternative as to where one might find a paper version of the survey, or a phone number to ring. Yet again the assumption that only those who have internet access are worthy of putting forward their opinions.
Those of us who do not have personal internet access (be this by choice, lack of affordability or lack of access) still pay our council tax and, in a democracy, still have the right to make our opinions known to those who set the rules for our city. We should be automatically given the choice of how we make these views known, not told to “ask a friend” or “ask our children” to show us on their internet device what to do. This is at best patronising and at worst bullying, and the practice should be stopped.
All of the main Welsh political parties have expressed their view (in one way or another at one time or another) that citizens should not be excluded from discussion just because they do not or cannot go online – so how about a change in attitude, please, Cardiff council? Mrs J Delgado address supplied
We need our politicians in Cardiff to put aside their differences and work together
Dr Chris Madoc-Jones Denbigh
Date in Glasgow for the end of the world
WITH events surrounding Cop26, the UN Climate Change Conference, taking on a somewhat despondent feel, what with countries with sky-high carbon emissions such as China wanting to hold their coal and gas economic advantages until the death (pun intended, for that’s how single-minded they seem), perhaps every road approaching Glasgow’s Scottish Event Campus should display large billboards carrying the message: “Welcome to the end of the world. Pease drive carefully.”
Those world leaders who do attend might not pay much notice, but Greta and the media would doubtless embrace the urgency and the irony.
Huw Beynon
Llandeilo
Blame privatisation for poor rail service
BRYAN MITCHELL believes the poor performance of TfW trains is down to state ownership. Perhaps he would care to explain how, despite large government subsidies, the Southeastern railway services franchise has performed so badly that it has been taken back under direct state control. Other private franchises have also provided poor service for passengers.
I would suggest that the real reason for poor performances date back to the time of Mrs Thatcher when the railways were split into numerous companies.
Alan Rumble
Cardiff
Help in coping with ‘hidden condition’
DIABETES is the hidden condition. Millions live with it, and millions more misunderstand it.
It’s about the constant balancing act of listening to your body, managing numbers, dealing with opinions. It’s about being the most organised person you know – and having the determination to take it in your stride, every single day.
At Diabetes UK, we want to show
the world what it’s really like to live with diabetes day in, day out. That is why we have launched a new awareness campaign, This Is Diabetes, featuring real people – Liz, Jon, Kaajal, Gina and Libby and her parents – living with and affected by diabetes.
As part of the campaign, we have released a diabetes e-book packed full of practical hints and tips sourced from the diabetes community, for the diabetes community. It pulls together pearls of wisdom gained from years of lived experience.
You can get your book by going to the Diabetes UK website. You’ll also receive tailored emails that offer a masterclass in living well with diabetes, as well as hearing from people living with the condition.
And just a reminder… whether you’re looking for advice, you’re having a tough day, or you just want to talk to someone going through the same, we’re here for you. You can call our helpline on 0345 123 2399 or email helpline@diabetes.org.uk to chat to one of our team. Head to our website to find out more about the This Is Diabetes campaign.
Josh James
Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Diabetes UK Cymru