Today our correspondents discuss the standard of care at Ninewells Hospital, bureaucracy in the NHS, John J. Marshall’s marshalling of facts and the quality of food at the Apex Hotel in Dundee.
Care standards at Ninewells second to none
Sir, Your front-page report (July 31) about Mr McLeay and his wife’s experiences at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, must cause concern to those about to require the services of the hospital, especially if their visit can result in a life-changing situation.
For this reason, I would like to present another side to the story. I underwent radiotherapy for throat cancer in 2008, which did not solve the problem.
In June 2009 I was admitted to Ward 26 for surgery. The staff were at pains to explain what I was in for and I was offered support left, right and centre, support which I personally did not want.
I knew I was coming out of theatre without a voice box and that was enough but, never having been hospitalised, that was my concern. Cancer I could handle but what felt to me like incarceration was something else.
However, from the minute I left theatre to the time of discharge, I had never been so pampered and fussed over in my life and I won’t see 70 again.
From the night nurses who brought me tea when I couldn’t sleep, to the young student who nagged me incessantly about nebulising, I knew I was being well looked after.
As for aftercare and support, that could not be bettered. I have a voice (but cannot sing) thanks to a valve and a therapist. I can smell thanks to the same therapist and I am regularly checked out.
To be more logical, does anyone out there know anyone who hasn’t slipped up?
Garry Stewart.Springbank,Clayholes,By Carnoustie.
Free clinicians from paperwork
Sir, Mr John Blair, a retired senior consultant at Perth Royal Infirmary, is spot on with his criticism of the over-managed National Health Service (July 30).
My own family’s experience (two consultants and a doctor) echoes that of Mr Blair, with growing frustration among doctors and nursing staff caused by the empire-building bureaucrats who have shanghaied the National Health Service. Form-filling and box-ticking have taken over from patient care as priorities, while highly trained doctors of long experience have to defer for permission to act to managers with no medical training.
Social workers, for instance, have equal status with consultant psychiatrists in decisions whether to section a mental patient or not. If the social worker says no, the patient is released against the wishes of a psychiatrist of long experience.
The only way to restore sanity to the NHS is to return to the old regime where doctors and nurses were in charge, with pen-pushers relegated to the secondary role of dealing with the paperwork.
Doctors and nurses complain bitterly about the top-heavy management structure, the bureaucracy and the never-ending paper-chase.
Why do their organisations not take matters in hand and confront our various governments with an ultimatum – return to a system run by medical staff with a greatly reduced bureaucracy performing a secondary role, or doctors and nurses will opt out of the health service?
Next to patients, medical staff are the people who matter. Faced with their opposition, even our benighted leaders would have to give way and dismantle this house of cards.
If not, the only part of that title with any meaning will soon be the word national.
At the moment, it is an organisation increasingly serving the interests of a bloated and blinkered bureaucracy.
Paper has replaced patients at the top of their priority list. Put patients back at the top, with doctors and nurses free to make decisions about their treatment, untrammeled by endless form filling.
George K. McMillan.5 Mount Tabor Avenue,Perth.
A voice of reason
Sir, I am sure that your columnist John J. Marshall would be the first to accept valid opinion or comment as regards his detailed article last Wednesday, but the content of the letter from James Christie (July 31) contained pure party-political bias as opposed to Mr Marshall’s facts on the Megrahi case.
If it was not for newspaper writers and articles of certain journalists of calibre, the public would be ill informed. Mr Christie did not have to look far for another example of the Scottish Government ignoring public opinion the letter by Ron Greer (also Saturday) on support for Calliachar windfarm.
Harry Lawrie.35 Abbots Mill,Kirkcaldy.
Casting pearls before swine
Sir, One of the best meals (roasted lamb with colcannon) and one of the most memorable breakfasts (lightly smoked Finnan haddock, fresh rocket and a perfect poached egg) I’ve ever had is when I had occasion to stay in the Apex City Quay Hotel, Dundee.
So I was surprised when I recently read an extremely bad review of the hotel in a tabloid.
I’m not in the habit of jumping to the defence of large hotel organisations let’s face it, they’re big enough to look after themselves but I have to say that review was ridiculously unfair.
However the management shouldn’t get too worried nor should the citizens jump into the Tay yet. The piece was based on the buffet breakfast and written by a sports “pundit”.
Further research reveals that the reviewer’s favourite meal appears to be over-spiced curries and hand-cut chips. He also complains of “the language problem” in the hotel, although it’s not made entirely clear who was having the problem.
Brian McHugh.52 Kirkwell Road,Cathcart,Glasgow.