Letters to the Editor

NHS 'worth every penny'

SIR, - The ongoing controversy about the NHS has confirmed to me what has been apparent for a long time - once you've managed to get into an NHS hospital the service is largely excellent.

Sadly the call for admittance is often preceded by a call from our maker.

My own experience over the past four weeks may be of interest. On February 5, six hours after returning from holiday in Florida, I suffered a severe attack of diarrhoea and violent vomiting and retching which culminated in the rupture of my oesophagus with potentially life-threatening results.

The emergency paramedics were quickly on the scene and I was taken to Airedale General Hospital. My condition deteriorated and I was rushed to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Waiting for me at reception was a young American doctor who after introducing himself and asking me for a resume of the past 36 hours, stuck me in a chair and propelled me at great speed along the long corridors to emergency X-ray where he pushed me straight up to the machine.

He was no expert porter but someone told me I'd just been pushed by the highest paid porter in the NHS!

A quick look at the X-ray and we did a return journey to a ward, where he quickly prepared a sterile area round my chest and inserted a tube to begin the process of draining the lung cavity. A second drain was inserted next day and the process of restoration began.

I'll draw a veil over the next ten nights of pain, thirst and hallucination except to say that it was all worth it and I'm now back home gradually regaining my health and strength.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to everyone concerned with my recovery - the ambulance crews, the devoted doctors under the tutelage of the brilliant Mr Anikin, the marvellous nurses of Ward 21 who truly made me understand the meaning of 'tender loving care', delivered with a smile in the most wretched of circumstances, the Pain Control Unit and the countless others who play a part in that most complex of organisations, the NHS.

We sometimes complain that we have to pay too much in taxes and NHI contributions but my own experiences tell me that it's worth every penny.

BERNARD ABBEY

56, Hall Drive,

Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Store praise

SIR, - I would like to report on a charity collection that took place in Waitrose in Otley last Friday and Saturday.

The collection was for Compassion in World Farming Trust (CIWF), a charity aiming to advance farm animal welfare and to educate people so that they can make informed choices about the food they buy.

Traditionally, supermarkets have been reluctant to let CIWF collect in store, but Waitrose is actually the current holder of the CIWF award for 'Compassionate Supermarket of the Year', and for very good reasons!

For more than 20 years it has been working with farmers and advisory groups to raise the standards of animal welfare and husbandry. For example, it was the first supermarket to refuse to sell eggs from hens kept in battery systems.

Amongst its selection of organic and free range meat products are free range turkeys that are available all year round.

It's also the only supermarket to sell free range duck produced on selected UK farms. Most people don't know that many ducks, despite being water fowl, are reared in intensive systems like those for broiler chickens.

Now that Waitrose has come to Otley, local people have the opportunity to buy a wide range of humanely produced meat, eggs and dairy products, something that the local CIWF group is very pleased about!

I would like to say a big thank you to Waitrose for allowing us to collect and to all the people who generously donated. We raised the sum of £505.07, every penny of which will help to make lives better for our farm animals.

Our display attracted a lot of attention and we were heartened by kind words of support and encouragement that we received.

Mrs Heather Parry

17 Westwood Rise,

Ilkley.

'Blair's MP'

SIR, - It is quite clear from the letter you published last week from Mr Blair's representative in Ilkley that she cannot defend her own voting record in Parliament on this issue so she resorts to a series of personal attacks on me and seeks to lie about my party's policies.

I drew attention to her failure to support a change in the law which would have afforded householders additional legal protection should we discover that a criminal had invaded our homes and we were forced to defend ourselves.

Mr Blair's representative says she believes that the existing law is 'adequate'. Well, she may be happy with 'adequate' for the people of our constituency and our country - I am not and neither are the people I meet on the doorsteps who are appalled that their current MP could so cruelly ignore their wishes.

I doubt Mr Blair would be surprised in the slightest to hear his MP in Ilkley described as his 'representative'. After all in January it was reported that Mr Blair had telephoned her to promise additional support in her fight to keep hold of her seat at the General Election.

Somehow I doubt that he would make such calls unless there was something in it for him, like having an MP who supports him in more than 96 per cent of all votes in Parliament.

Falsely, Mr Blair's MP claims that if elected the Conservatives would cut the number of police officers. Quite the opposite. We will provide West Yorkshire with more than 1,500 additional police officers because we recognise they are desperately needed to help win the war on crime and drugs.

We have set out quite openly how our spending priorities in this area, and others like health and education, will be paid for. We will reduce Government bureaucracy, which has grown so sharply under Mr Blair and get value for money.

His representative in our area may say that our sums don't add up - well she would say that wouldn't she? The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has examined our plans and confirmed that the sums do add up - including our commitment to cut council tax for pensioners, which I have found to be so welcomed in Ilkley.

There is a choice for the people of Ilkley at the General Election. I will stand up for the rights of concerned householders. Mr Blair's MP stands up for the rights of those who invade our homes.

Karl Poulsen

Conservative

Parliamentary Candidate

for Ilkley.

Downhill

SIR, - As a regular visitor to Ilkley I noticed two items in the Gazette of March 3. Has anyone else made the connection?

A letter from one of your readers was regretting the possibility of not having a new fish and chip shop while on another page many people must be regretting the loss of a valued community service in the form of Selmans Creative Crafts (Silk Paintings), which appears to be a facility which should be encouraged.

Has anyone asked why this educational service has been lost to the community.

These two articles seem to be linked by the same address, but no mention is made that this site must be green belt land, which must be correctly administered before Ilkley is lost to everybody.

No gym, what else has been lost or about to be lost? Ilkley is going 'down hill'. Is it its people or the administrators who need to pull their 'socks up'?

NAME SUPPLIED

Freemans Close,

Leamington Spa,

Warwickshire.

Clapped out

SIR, - The report about splitting Ilkley Parish Council ('Burley and Menston to get own councils - but not until next year', February 3) suggested that the delay in setting up the new councils was the fault of The Electoral Commission.

Legislation provides that elections to new parish councils cannot be held until The Electoral Commission has made an Order providing for the number of of councillors to be elected and any parish wards that are required. Such an Order can only be made following the receipt of electoral arrangement proposals from, in this case, Bradford Council.

So far the Commission has received no proposals for Burley and Menston Parish Councils. That is why there can be no first elections to those councils this year.

ARCHIE GALL

Director of Boundary

Reviews,

The Boundary Committee.