Time to address NHS issue in Scotland too

Sir – Reference recent articles in the press about overcrowding and long waiting periods for patients in A&E at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, some points should be made.

If there are two hospitals with A&E departments in an area (eg Fife) with a fairly steady population base, it must follow that if one A&E is closed down, then the other will experience an approximate doubling of workload.

This means that the same numbers of staff will be needed, as previously, with a proportionately bigger departmental receipt and treatment area. It appears that staff numbers have been allowed to dwindle.

More special to condition ward space will be needed to allow for a bigger number of patients being admitted to the single A&E hospital.

There may be scope for some patients to be returned to the former hospital, but it would be preferable, surely, for any cure to be effected in the same hospital.

Comments by a chairman of a “committee”, (speaking no doubt on behalf of “members”), the medical “director”, the clinical services “director”, nicely topped off with the views of the acute services “director” just about shows where the problems lie, within our NHS. Too many cooks.

Add the threat of lots of patients arriving from the about to close (probably) out of hours facility in Glenrothes and the likely increase of workload from that, doesn’t bear thinking about.

In England, the bloodletting (a common medical treatment in olden days) has started amongst health trust executives and senior staff, as Parliament responds to the population’s growing concern about falling standards within the NHS in England and Wales. A T Geddie. 68 Carleton Avenue, Glenrothes.