Letters - May 14, 2020

In 2017, I had operations for a hip and two knee replacements.

This was ‘elective surgery’, in that, between us, the NHS and I chose to do it.

My conditions were not life-threatening.

If, on the other hand, I had been suffering from acute appendicitis with the threat of peritonitis, the NHS would have given me ‘emergency surgery’.

Not a matter of choice.

The Covid-19 pandemic has faced the world with its most severe crisis since the Second World War.

Dealing with this has to be the top priority.

Brexit is an ‘elective’ issue – we can choose to go ahead with it or we can choose, under changed circumstances, to give up on it.

If, in 2017, I had been afflicted by acute appendicitis, I would not have chosen that point in time to say to the surgeon: “And when you have finished with the appendix thing, can you please do a right knee replacement?”

It is crazy, absolutely crazy, for the UK to seek to go ahead with Brexit in current circumstances.

John Cole

via email

Isolation

Problem with loneliness

I read with concern about a lady who was lonely and felt cut off during this period of isolation.

She turned to drink and got arrested for repeated drink driving.

While it is good that nobody got injured as a consequence of her alcohol-influenced driving, the concern I have is that this shows there must be plenty of people prone to being lonely who would find this period of isolation something like mental torture.

They may possibly act out of character.

As with all the messages which are going out, it is important for everyone to stay connected with others by whatever means, and it would help society get more together if those who appear isolated or out of reach were contacted by some means while keeping to the social distancing rules.

Many have IT facilities for social media, texting, emails, etc but some don’t like these and need a bit more direct contact.

Maybe a phone call will make a difference as it is a live two-way communication they could feel more comfortable with.

I don’t know how this lady felt cut off, but it shows there is a problem with loneliness at all levels – and even more so with the current social distancing rules in

force.

John R Jones

Warton

Social care

Put care homes back into NHS

What a very sad state that care homes are in, with Covid-19 killing hundreds of people every week.

They knew this pandemic was coming in January. But did they buy in PPE?

No is the answer. And then they try to blame the Government for their shortcomings.

They are privately run companies who charge the earth and want the taxpayer to foot the bill for PPE.

Their staff are on minimum wages and most of the time are short-staffed.

They deserve a whole lot better.

The sick, frail and elderly are someone’s relatives who have seen their life savings taken by this dreadful system.

Yes, as a nation we should step in right now to try and save what’s left and take these care homes back into the NHS.

Margaret Thatcher got this one badly wrong with care in the community.

Jim Smith

Address supplied

Virus

Concern over rule changes

I’m writing to voice my concerns regarding some of the Government’s changes to the ‘Rules of Lockdown’.

I’m astounded by the allowance made to permit people to travel unlimited distances just to find open space, surely this should have had a limit of, say, 20 miles maximum , a distance that should enable reaching such space even from a city centre.

The police say they can no longer challenge people’s actions using A.N.P.R. technology as a result of these new freedoms .

I await with bated breath the anticipated resurgence of the virus as a consequence.

Mike Allen

via email