Sir, The charade which is NHS Fife’s “consultation” into its plans to close out-of-hours services at Glenrothes Hospital has now plunged into new comedic depths.
Last autumn, it emerged that the NHS officials charged with undertaking a review of the OOH services managed to conclude their study having been blissfully unaware that Glenrothes Hospital serves around 12,000 people in its Howe of Fife and Kennoway catchment area.
Astonishingly, the needs of those communities had been completely overlooked during this review.
With the help of our elected representatives, and via our attendance at two meetings with NHS Fife, we were assured last October by both NHS Fife’s chief executive and its general manager that the needs and views of our communities would be taken into account during a further “period of engagement”.
We now learn through your columns (May 14) that a series of allegedly “public” meetings to present the outcomes of an “options appraisal” have been taking place, including one held in the Howe of Fife on May 7 yet community groups such as ours were simply not invited!
The meetings were not publicised at all locally so far as we are aware, and our local elected representatives were not advised. Neither despite an assurance to the contrary having been given to us has any information about the appraisal outcomes been sent to community organisations, to allow them to express their views.
No doubt NHS Fife will now claim that there has been little public concern expressed, allowing them to press ahead with what they have been planning to do since day one close down the much-valued Glenrothes OOH services. In this area, we are fortunate to enjoy excellent and empathetic frontline care from our doctors, nurses, other health professionals and support staff. It is they, as much as the local population, who are being let down by the shameful ineptitude and deception of NHS Fife management over this matter.
Patrick Laughlin. Secretary, Freuchie Community Council.
That’s a bit rich coming from politicians
Sir, I watched the news item regarding Amazon and Google apparently not paying enough tax to Westminster and listened with some disbelief to Margaret Hodge MP accusing Google of “do do evil” and “smoke andmirrors” I’m sorry? Thisfrom a politician?
For as long as I can remember they (politicians, both Labour and Tory) have consistently used smoke and mirrors to con the electorate and basically flannel and lie their way through a well-paid lifestyle.
As for “do do evil” I would refer you to Tony Blair in Iraq and America’s “yes man” David Cameron in Afghanistan.
Then there is that obscene monster Trident about to be upgraded! Do do evil? Hodge and her fellow politicians should start on their own doorsteps I think.
Good luck to Amazon, they employ people which is quite important. These employees pay taxes in the UK. They, and Google are merely doing what any one of us would if we could, avoiding paying more taxes than we have to.
Ian Heggie. 7 Achray Park, Glenrothes.
Clouding, not clarifying
Sir, In seeking to rebut my letters pointing up the very low proportional electricity output from the UK’s wind turbines, coupled with their negligible curtailment of CO2 production and very small permanent job creation for British people, along with their very high costs in money and environmental damage, Joss Blamire, senior policy manager of the trade body developing wind-electricity, provides some largely misleading data suggesting that these windmills are useful (Letters, May 11).
He or she claims to offer “clarification,” but in fact, clouds the realities.
There is no doubt about the tiny proportions of electricity from wind contributing to our supplies or the small to zero electricity output common in cold, windless weather, nor that, in comparative, proportional terms, the CO2-saving is negligible.
As for jobs, foreign workers manufacture the hardware abroad and others come to the UK temporarily to install the windmills. The figures we need are concerned with permanent job creation stemming from the wind turbine installations.
All-in-all, the consumer and the taxpayer get a very poor deal from renewables, except for those landowners, developers and manufacturers coining money from our electricity bills!
Moreover, the land-and seascapes are trashed, along with our finances, taking away much money which could be usefully spent elsewhere.
(Dr) Charles Wardrop. 111 Viewlands Road West, Perth.
How do I get a refund?
Sir, In his letter of May 17 Dr John Cameron states that a teacher’s pension is paid for out of general taxation.
Does this mean that all the superannuation payments that I made over my career were totally unnecessary?
Perhaps Dr Cameron might be able to tell me how I could go about getting a refund?
Alan Kennedy. 55 Newton Crescent, Carnoustie.
How did it feel, Nigel?
Sir, With regard to the confrontation with demonstrators in Edinburgh, I wonder how Nigel Farage felt about being told to go back home to his own country and that he is not welcome here?
Alister Rankin. 93 Whyterose Terrace, Methil, Leven.