Misconceptions about hospital clinic

Also, it is clear that some of the health professionals currently concerned are 'defending their turf' rather than listening to the core issues at stake.

In the first instance, my wife and I questioned the state of the clinic given that an offer of funding for rehabilitation had been discussed by the hospital with Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund (CRMF). It is agreed by the trust that the present state of the clinic is very unsatisfactory and other patients have commented on the problems. Patients who attend the private day ward (18) obviously are in different surroundings.

To us it seemed crazy that the offer had been refused and we wanted to know why. The answer lay in the trust's refusal to accept a contingent requirement - namely that they accept two Macmillan Nurses into the Trust (funding would be paid by CRMF for the first three years.)

Various comments have been made by other correspondents about the treatment of cancer patients in the Airedale NHS area and it is important to put these in context. Bob Allen, the chief executive, admitted at a meeting last week that the philosophy of not having a Macmillan service in Airedale should be reviewed.

The Director of Nursing, Sue Franks, is to carry out a survey of patients' views and those of the GPs. In order to inform that review, the public have a right to know what they are not currently getting by way of services, that are enjoyed in many other areas of the country. (Molly Jones pointed this out in her letter a couple of weeks ago.)

First, the current services rely on clinical treatments being carried out at Airedale and the Primary Healthcare Teams (GPs and District Nurses) supposedly provide the community-based cover. Dr Crawford alleges that the sort of care provided by Macmillan Nurses in other areas is dealt with via Sue Ryder and Marie Curie care.

This is wrong. Whilst the Marie Curie service from Ardenlea, in Ilkley, and the Sue Ryder Foundation, at Manorlands, in Oxenhope, do provide help, that is hospice-based in concept. This falls well short of the total care of the patient and their families/carers that is understood by those who have come into close contact with properly constituted community Macmillan Services.

Sue Ryder and Marie Curie specifically deal only with terminal care, the care of patients in the final stages of disease. A community Macmillan service would give the following benefits.

1. Care from the time of diagnosis. This is very important as patients and their carers need help at a very early stage. This may include dealing with telling young family what is happening. Also patients need reassurance about the treatments they may expect.

Having a point of contact with a Macmillan Nurse from diagnosis onward is very important. It also means that carers have someone to turn to, to discuss problems that may arise. Typically patients are so distressed at the time of diagnosis that anything they are told in the consulting room about their progress is lost from their memory. Having a local professional to turn to subsequently is key in delivering peace of mind.

2. Specialist knowledge in the areas of pain control and drug treatments (which is currently not available via the GPs and District Nurses - despite protestations to the contrary).

3. Macmillan nurses do not deal solely with cancer patients, they also care for sufferers from Motor Neurone Disease and AIDS. It is unlikely that a single GP or District Nurse will have such comprehensive knowledge across these areas. Indeed some GPs may only see the rarer forms of cancer only once or twice in their careers.

4. Patients often do not want to consult uniformed District Nurses, particularly in the early stages of cancer diagnosis and treatment. The services provided should acknowledge that fact. Also it is madness to think that in such a wide geographic area the only physical base at which any palliative nursing is delivered should be Airedale or Oxenhope. What about the other 500 square miles?

Given the obvious benefits that having such a service would bring to the people of Airedale I am at a loss to see why the offer of CRMF was refused. Instead, we are led to believe that having District Nurses trained in the care of the dying is an adequate substitute. It is not.

The public has a right to know that it is not and they should have the chance to comment in advance of any new decision being made by the NHS Trust.

Do the public really know where to get help of this nature at present? Evidence strongly indicates that they do not. Indeed, there are plenty of examples of patients and their carers, along with close friends who are stretched to the limit because the current systems are failing to deliver the positive assistance they need. These people should speak out. Their voice is an important one and should be heard.

Second, Dr Crawford also asserted that the clinic would be refurbished when funds could be found. Well we know where the funds can be found. That is already out in the open. I have spoken to a number of people, including Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund and they are clear that finding the £500,000 required should not be difficult.

So we are left wondering why, admits all of this, the Airedale NHS Trust does not just accept that they should institute a Macmillan Service - and we can have a much-improved outpatients clinic into the bargain.

Patients and carers should put pen to paper and let the Trust know what kinds of community-based cancer care they really want. The status quo is simply not good enough.

Robert Wherrett

Cleveliot House,

Starbottom,

Skipton.

Survey wrong

SIR, - It was recently reported in the Ilkley Gazette and the Telegraph and Argus that 33 000 vehicles a week use Bolling Road/Springs Lane in Ilkley and that most of them travel at speeds under 30mph with only three per cent speeding.

These statistics were obtained through a traffic survey which was carried out at the bottom of Wheatley Road, where there is a bus stop, a telephone box and where the road bends taking vehicles past a line of cars parked outside the Coronation Hospital. It is a place where traffic is forced to slow down in order to negotiate the narrow highway.

To imply that traffic habitually travels at under 30mph elsewhere on Bolling Road, particularly on the long straight middle stretch, is therefore grossly misleading. Even by the traffic survey's statistics, approximately 1,000 vehicles a week are speeding.

A further monitoring exercise, in a more appropriate position on Bolling Road, preceded by consultation with local groups, is strongly recommended

Helen Kidman

3 Margerison Crescent,

Ben Rhydding,

Ilkley.

No more building

SIR, - Following Coun M Exley's concerns in the Gazette last week, regarding the impact of another development will have on the village of Burley-in-Wharfedale, I would like to add my support and share his feelings.

When anybody considers the scale of the development which has been pushed on to our village community over the past six to seven years, and those under current and intended construction (ie Wells Farm site, Scalebor), add to those the land earmarked for development under the UDP that's not yet been touched. It makes for a very sorry thought. Perhaps all of us in Burley should deliberate over concerns as:

Schools - Class sizes in the village. How will Ilkley Grammar cope with not just our increase in residents but the increase of property in feeder areas?

The Station Parking - The rail system, already under pressure with more than just the village using our situation to help ensure a seat.

Rat Runs - Through the village, in some cases passing outside our children's schools. It does not make for comforting reading.

It raises grave concerns. Enough is enough. Any new building, be it one or 100 should be opposed by all of us. What's already lost to the UDP. We can only try to shape our village.

Coun C J Haley

Dial House,

40 Main Street,

Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Bird attacks

SIR, - A funny thing happened to me - not on the way to the theatre as one might assume (although the incident did occur in close proximity to the Ilkley theatre) - but on my way to the pool for an early morning swim.

I had just crossed over from one pavement to the other when without warning I was hit on the head from behind by a crow in a dive-bombing action which then flew up to a rooftop where it noisily protested.

Only then when passing the theatre doorway did I see two fledglings frantically trying to gain some height. Once again I was attacked from behind by another crow and hit on the head for a second time in the same way as before.

On my return journey, as I passed the theatre I was harassed again by the two birds, but this time I did not see the young birds, though they were obviously in the vicinity.

This account may be of interest to readers of the wildlife section of your paper.

Mr J Heap

Carnegie Court,

Springs Lane,

Ilkley.

Sir Harry's plea

SIR, - I am writing to you with a personal plea to help save lives. June is The Cancer Research Campaign's Men's Cancer Awareness Month, and the charity is particularly focusing on prostate cancer, the second most common cancer in men in the UK.

This disease claims the lives of nearly 10,000 British men every year and, as with most forms of cancer, early diagnosis is crucial for the best chance of survival.

I should know. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer myself after going to see my GP because I was experiencing abdominal pain. It's two years since my diagnosis and I'm still undergoing treatment.

You can help yourself and your family by being aware of the early warning signs. These are: difficulty in passing water or going to the toilet more frequently than usual, pain or blood in the urine or back or hip pain. If you have any of these symptoms, check with your doctor. The cancer Research Campaign has produced a new leaflet about prostate cancer and how to spot the early signs. If you would like a free copy, please send an SAE marked 'prostate leaflet' to: The Cancer Research Campaign, Communication and Information Department, 10 Cambridge Terrace, London NW1 4JL.

And if you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer and, like me, you want to raise awareness by telling your story, pease write to Caroline Thomas, at The Cancer Research Campaign at the above address, or phone 0800 CANCER, that's 0800 226 237.

SIR HARRY SECOMBE

Patron of The Cancer Research

Campaign's Men's Cancer

Awareness Month.