Letters - November 14, 2016

These mistakes have only begun since the Government attempted to cut costs by outsourcing to the private firm. The service should be taken back in-house to the NHS, rather than continuing to use Capita, who are set to profit from this NHS service.

A new BMA survey of GP practices covering more than two million patients found that a third of practices were being sent incorrect patient records and a quarter found that crucial medical supplies were arriving late.

A staggering eight out of 10 found that urgent requests for patient information was taking more than three weeks to process. Practices running out of prescription paper are having to borrow from other surgeries, as Capita cannot deliver this on time.

These mistakes are costing GPs valuable time and effort that could be spent providing more appointments to patients.

It is time for Government ministers to act immediately to clean up this mess so that patients get the fast, effective and safe care that they deserve.

Dr David Wrigley,

GP and BMA council deputy chairman

WORKPLACE

Nothing but the tooth... in a mug

Reading Steve Canavan’s column about the hairy eared man whose soup went missing (The Thing Is..., Gazette, Novembe 10), reminded me of the canteen where I used to work.

We had a ‘phantom mug thief’ who would ‘borrow’ a cup or a mug from your pigeon hole and forget to replace it. I came up with the ideal solution to this. I left my mug half filled with water with an old set of dentures in it. The person who was responsible never ‘borrowed’ it again.

Malcolm Boyce

Deepdale Road

Marton

SERVICES

It seems Labour has finally woken up

You know it must be getting close to an election time when the sleeping dog of the local Labour Party starts remembering they have a community.

This time they’ve remembered that two libraries they voted to shut recently are actually valued by the community. So for a photo op, in the hope the public forget their role in the closures, they stand outside Cleveleys Library demanding it stays open.

I’ve news for them, that power lays with them – they voted to shut them, they can vote to re-open them. Also, they hope readers forget that this decision was made in April and since then they have done nothing but sleep.

It’s been the likes of Andrea Kay, Alan Vincent, Kerry Jones, and Lynn Walmsley, all local Conservative Councillors who, supported by our hard working MP Paul Maynard, have been leading the charge to fight for these libraries to stay open. One pledge made by the Conservatives at County Hall is that if they take power in May next year they will re-open all shut libraries across the county.

This pledge may be the reason why Labour are rushing to dispose of the sites as soon as possible, or perhaps just call my cynical.

D Walmsley

Cleveleys

APPEAL

Chance for carers to take a break

Can you imagine if a close family member had a stroke? There are 1.2 million people in the UK living with the impact of stroke, and the condition strikes every three-and-a-half minutes. People who survive strokes often end up with disabilities, including aphasia, which affects around 350,000 people in the UK.

Aphasia affects a person’s ability to speak, read, write and understand, but not their intelligence. Aphasia can make people feel isolated and it can feel very frustrating, but many people caring for loved ones with aphasia don’t receive the support they need.

To make matters worse, many stroke survivors and their carers find it extremely difficult to organise a break – even for just a few days – because of additional care needs and difficulties accessing suitable facilities.

I work for Revitalise, a brilliant national charity providing respite holidays for disabled people and carers at our accessible UK centres. We have been working closely with the Stroke Association to provide breaks focused on people with stroke and aphasia and their carers. In preparation, Revitalise’s nursing and care teams have received special training from the Stroke Association to ensure they have the expertise required.

Our new Stroke & Aphasia Weeks will take place in January 2017 across our three UK centres and we want stroke survivors and their carers to know about this new respite lifeline.

Call 0303 303 0145 or visit www.revitalise.org.uk.

Colin Brook, Revitalise

www.revitalise.org.uk

CHARITY

Turn stamps into cash for guide dogs

I am appealing for used postage stamps which help me raise funds which I donate to the Guide Dogs for the Blind.

Recycling used postage stamps is such an easy way to raise money for the charity and I am always in need of all types of postage stamps.

If you are able to help I would be grateful if you could cut the stamps from envelopes (leaving a 1cm margin) and send them to this address.

Myrna Chave

PO Box 91

Virginia Water, Surrey

GU25 9AR