Sir, – Nobody who reads The Courier or watches Scottish TV news could claim not to be aware of the dire financial situation in which NHS Tayside finds itself.
But what many people won’t realise is the steps health authorities have had to take in order to satisfy government requirements with regard to surgery waiting lists and the cost of these steps.
Many people, including myself, find themselves having to attend pre-operative assessments and the resulting surgery in Clydebank.
Not only are patients from Tayside and Fife affected, but from many other areas.
The additional costs incurred in attempting to satisfy the requirements, includes the costs incurred in travelling to Clydebank, either as a mileage allowance or by public transport, and the cost of staying in a hotel for those with an admission time of 7.30am, though food is to the patients’ cost.
With the numbers involved – I know of four personally in my area alone –there is little wonder the Tayside Health Board have far from minuscule additional costs, due to the number of patients far exceeding the present resources and capabilities of Ninewells Hospital.
I would ask, therefore, who is culpable?
I would suggest not just the health board.
Perhaps Shona Robison might just have a look at the admissions and accounts books, and in the mirror, and suggest a way out of this dilemma, even though blame can be apportioned in many places!
Geoff Bray.
Heather Croft,
Letham,
Angus.
Naivety at heart of NHS troubles?
Sir, – The problem with Shona Robson is that, throughout her tenure, she has sounded like a naive, new executive director of NHS Tayside rather than the Scottish Government Health Secretary, which is her actual position.
She has given the board of NHS Tayside the benefit of the doubt for far too long and they have taken full advantage of her weakness by borrowing millions and closing services with impunity.
The blinkered and deluded assessment by those such as Professor John Connell, who says safe and effective patient care is being provided and that NHS Tayside is set on the correct course, flies in the face of the evidence.
D. A. Walker.
St Martins,
12 Union Place,
Montrose.
Beach for V&A? Is this a joke?
Sir, – I have just read the beach area at the V&A is to go ahead. Is this a late April Fool joke from Dundee Council? This is Dundee, Scotland, not Dundee, Florida. You are lucky to get as many hot days in summer as I have fingers.
Plus, with the skyline being shaded by the planned building beside the V&A and the V&A’s own shadow, direct sunlight is not going to be around for long on these few hot sunny days.
One thing that is missing from the V&A plan is a car parking area.
Perhaps the beach would be more suited as a car park, as it could be used every day instead of a few sunny days a year.
Gordon Fotheringham.
1 Woodland Way,
Kingoodie,
Dundee.
Cash not just for one Fife school
Sir, – I couldn’t help but wonder if Lesley Laird was speaking as an MP or a Fife councillor in her comments regarding an urgent replacement to Inverkeithing High School (“MP claims crumbling school needs replacing”, The Courier, April 7).
Whilst it is correct £50 million has been set aside in the Capital plan to address the school estate in Fife, Mrs Laird is incorrect in saying “the cash is already there to build a new Inverkeithing High School”.
The cash is for replacement schools in Dunfermline and West Fife and Glenrothes, it is not exclusively set aside for a replacement Inverkeithing High School.
Inverkeithing will indeed be over capacity in three to four years, but that will only be if the proposed new catchment and rezoning plans come to fruition.
This could, of course, all have been avoided if the previous Labour administration in Fife, of which Councillor Lesley Laird was deputy leader, had addressed rapid house building and population growth earlier, and recognised there would be a need to develop the school estate. Instead, following last year’s election, councillors were faced with hurried proposals which were quite rightly rejected.
Voters in Ward 6 will be wondering quite what is going on.
Cllr Laird, since being elected as an MP, has been absent from community meetings (and all but invisible in the ward) where no doubt concerns about school capacity and the estate have been discussed.
Given that education is a devolved matter, why is an MP getting involved in this debate or is she, confusingly, now speaking as a Fife councillor?
Cllr Kathleen Leslie.
2 Town House, Wemyssfield,
Kirkcaldy.
Compassion is up to us all
Sir, – Much is being written in The Courier Letters page on culling wildlife and blood sports in general.
There is no doubt certain species need to be controlled so a balance between farmers and sporting estates and the general public is maintained.
Why does this have to happen at all? The answer goes back into the mists of time, as the population grew and encroached on wildlife, many natural predators were hunted to extinction or lived on the very margins.
After the Highland clearances much land was altered for large hunting estates and the land you see now is very much altered from 200 or 300 years ago.
Unfortunately, due to human needs and expansion, culling will continue and many will still indulge in blood sports, and the hunting estates will have to manage certain species.
What most people want from land users and land managers is honesty about why things are done, and we who access the land for pleasure have every right to question why and how things such as culling need to be done and every right to insist on compassion.
There is no easy way to kill animals, but we must ensure it is done for the right reasons and as humanely as possible.
Blood sports are part of Scottish rural life, many enjoy a day’s shooting, fishing or stalking.
It’s up to the rest of us to accept this, but also to challenge bad practice and law-breaking, and ensure the laws governing blood sports and culling are tough enough for purpose.
Bryan Auchterlonie.
Bluebell Cottage,
Perth.
Better service for electric cars
Sir, – Last month 37% of new car sales in Norway (that snowy country) were electric.
Adding on hybrids took the figure to 55%.
Carbon dioxide emissions of new cars dropped 26% in just one year.
Closer to home, though, we’ve taken our older, shorter-range electric model on a trip to the Lake District and to Newcastle Airport, without great difficulty, and to describe the rapid charge network as adequate would be too high praise.
It’s barely been added to in the two years we’ve had our car, but the number of electric cars has nearly trebled.
A single rapid charger at each location has never really been good enough – and, for that matter, a single one in the whole of North East Fife isn’t, either.
It shouldn’t take much thought to work out it’s most efficient to stop at a rapid charger when passengers also want refreshment.
So, while it’s good to have them available, there are too many in park and ride car parks with minimal facilities.
Government planning policy says charging points should be considered for all new developments. This is an opportunity but I haven’t seen any consideration whatsoever in local planning determinations.
Gordon Pay.
Eden Park,
Cupar.
