The NHS has enough cash – but, in my opinion, not enough common sense.
The whole culture needs to shift to a mentality that puts the patient first. There are far too many staff pushing pens and ticking boxes; and far too many highly paid administrators that do nothing for the patients, except prevent the NHS from functioning.
One phone call from a patient should be enough to set a structured procedure in place and eventually, have the problem resolved. Instead of delaying a patient’s treatment, telling them to call back “in two weeks”, all NHS staff should be obliged to consult and refer the patient immediately.
Fruitless telephoning for appointments and GP referrals can be very stressful and is certainly not helpful if a patient is ill.
Rosemary Westwell
Address Provided
Moral write-off
If president Joe Biden is replaced by another Democratic presidential candidate, it should be senator Bernie Sanders.
Some statistics show that around three-quarters of Americans favour a governmental implementation of a number of public programmes, notably universal health care and some form of guaranteed income plan (aka welfare).
While I find the Republican party, like its federal Conservative Party counterpart here in Canada, a moral write-off altogether when it comes to humane social policy, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) refuses to allow genuinely fiscally progressive candidates like Sanders as its presidential nominee, regardless of what Democratic Party members or voters want.
I recall that every county in West Virginia voted for Sanders in the 2016 primaries, yet the DNC declared them as wins for Hillary Clinton!
I find it presumptuous of the DNC to expect economically disenfranchised citizens to vote for a Democrat candidate with thinly veiled ties to corporate interests and who’s not going to improve the lives of poor, working people – simply to vote out an undesirable Republican. And, of course, to wait in long bad weather lineups for the privilege.
Frank Sterle Jr
White Rock, Canada
No growth with climate
There seems to be a general assumption that all the desirable outcomes for the NHS, education, housebuilding and so on can all be achieved if the economy can grow and go on growing.
But this ignores the fact that a growing economy requires the use of both renewable and finite resources. We are already using unrenewable resources considerably faster than they are being replaced with renewable ones and their inherently finite nature means eventually we will have no choice but to adapt.
Concentrating on using resources as efficiently as possible and recycling them as effectively as possible is as important as economic growth is to our future. Without cutting emissions and preventing climate change, our society will only go so far.
Paul Burall
Norwich
Retain and reteach
It is good to see that in Labour’s first week in office, they are already starting work on their promise to recruit 6,500 new teachers.
Reintroducing the “Every Lesson Shapes a Life” campaign will hopefully bolster teacher recruitment. Science departments in particular are desperately short of teachers, with an estimated shortage of nearly 3,500 physics specialists across England. And it is welcome to see the government taking proactive steps to show that it genuinely values teachers. Alongside recruitment, given the scale of the crisis, we are also calling for investment in retraining established teachers of other subjects to be able to teach science confidently.
Science as a school subject also suffers from one of the worst retention rates of any subject, with teachers citing workload issues, as well as having to teach outside of their specialism, as factors driving them from the profession. So there needs to be a focus on addressing these key issues as a priority otherwise the benefits of any recruitment boost will be wasted.
It is great to see a start being made in this area, but we also need to do better with our teaching workforce if we are really going to crack this problem.
Hari Rentala
Institute of Physics
Right-wing starting gun
France asserts its revolutionary heritage by sending the far right packing... at least for now. But there is a reason for the rise of the far right.
In my opinion, it goes back to 2005 – 29 May, to be precise – when the French rejected a proposed “EU constitution” in a referendum. Other EU member countries, those who were given the chance to vote, also rejected it. However, the EU project was not to be derailed. In a breathtaking display of arrogance, the EU establishment ignored the vote.
The constitution was repackaged into a treaty – the Treaty of Lisbon – a document which, while not a constitution, was in essence the same as the one which the French had resoundingly rejected. It was then smoothly adopted by the French parliament. They didn’t risk another referendum and more significantly, there was little opposition from the left at the time. That was the starting gun for the right to make inroads into French politics.
Only the end of free movement, Frexit, will bring an end to the march of the far right in Europe.
Fawzi Ibrahim
London
Covid immunity has likely waned, we must be prepared
Regarding recent articles on the symptoms of current Covid variants, healthcare officials advise keeping up to date on jabs.
Yet many people are not eligible for vaccines due to its narrow criteria for recipients. Even as a sufferer of long Covid since January this year (now unable to work), I am not officially eligible to take the vaccine, even though I have no doubt another infection would render me permanently disabled.
I hope the new health secretary, Wes Streeting, will change the policy to allow free booster jabs for all who want them and to publicise and encourage a full vaccination program. Most people have had no new vaccinations since autumn 2022, so immunity has likely waned and is not up to speed with the newer variants. This is an urgent matter and will affect the health of thousands.
Anna Watson
London
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