THE coalition government’s plans for the NHS could spell disaster for our local health services.

Many people are not aware that the policies represent the biggest change to the NHS since it was founded in 1948, and they will affect every patient.

The government wants to move to a more American-style market health system, where hospitals and doctors have to compete for business.

For patients that will mean a worse service. All our hospitals and community health services will be separated off from the NHS and made into independent businesses, meaning any of them could go bust or close a vital department like A&E to save money.

Hospitals will be free to treat private paying customers first, with the rest of us having to wait our turn. Certain treatments like hernia operations could be dropped all together, forcing people to pay.

GPs will be made to take on the role of accountants, buying services for patients, doing the job currently done by our local PCT.

Will patients still trust their doctor if they think he or she is putting cost cutting before their health? What will happen to the doctor patient relationship when it turns out the GP is responsible for the decision to close the local hospital?

The government’s plans will also bring about a huge postcode lottery where drugs and treatments will be available to one GP’s patients but not another’s.

Plus there is the prospect of GP surgeries running out of money and telling patients they will have to wait until the new financial year before they can be treated.

The cost of making such huge changes to the NHS is going to be at least £3bn at a time when the country can least afford it, and they come alongside £20bn of ‘efficiency savings’ in the NHS that will mean closures and cuts anyway.

None of these controversial policies were in the Conservative or Lib Dem manifestos at the election. They have come out of nowhere and are soon to be put to Parliament.

We have to take a stand now to defend health services in and join with national campaigns like the NHS Supporters (www.nhscampaign.org) to get these plans stopped.

Dr Dylan Murphy

Marsden

The law’s too soft

AFTER reading the article on August 17 on unpaid fines handed down from Huddersfield and Dewsbury Magistrates’ Court, I see nothing has changed in the last seven years since I was an Enforcement Officer for the WYCS.

The magistrates are toothless lions with all good intentions of punishing wrongdoers but in truth are as much use as a chocolate fire guard, with their hands tied by the Lord Chancellor’s Office.

When I was an Enforcement Officer you would receive a warrant for an unpaid fine for anything from road traffic, theft and assault.

The offenders would be arrested, put in the cells and brought up in front of the magistrates to answer why payment had not been paid.

After a sob story, the magistrates would usual make an order that the fine should be paid at some nominal amount each week, taking in to account the offenders’ need to buy cigs, have a mobile phone, Sky TV, drink, hordes of dogs, cats and children ohh and don’t forget the car, the motor in which the offence was probably committed.

I could guarantee that the warrant for these offenders would be back on my desk after a month without one copper coin being paid. This would then result in the whole arrest being repeated.

This would continue for months and month with the fine being reduced and reduced until only court costs were left.

It really does not surprise me there are £16m unpaid fines. Until this country takes the enforcement of fines a great deal more seriously and the human rights of criminals are changed, the amount of unpaid fines will increase or be written off to make the books look good.

It is time tough action was taken against these criminals as well as the young rioters who will probably get some serious finger wagging and told not to do it again.

It is about time the new St George’s Square is used to name and shame these criminals every weekend maybe bring back the birch.

Richard Williams

Oldest Saturday lad in Huddersfield

Setting an example

ACCORDING to recent reports, Dewsbury traders are receiving letters from Kirklees Council demanding that they spend thousands of pounds giving their untidy shops a makeover.

Kirklees Council need to set an example and put their own house in order before requiring others to upgrade their premises.

The frontage of the empty Kirklees Council tax office, adjacent to Ings Grove Park in Mirfield, is an eyesore and in need of urgent attention.

Harold Laycock

Mirfield

Paying for a mistake

ANOTHER blunder by Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing – and who is going to suffer again? The tenants.

Because KNH has the inability to manage the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) they have made a blunder with this financial year’s rents.

Mr Simon Rogers states that he will manage the shortfall (1%) through a combination of increased savings and use of reserves.

Surely these are profits which have been retained in the management of the housing stock of the council, so therefore because an (ALMO) does not trade for profit, the 1% shortfall should be made right by KNH for this financial year’s rents, and not the tenants.

A lot of tenants are finding if hard enough without having to fork out money for a big mistake made by KNH.

I would also like to say that Clr Christine Smith deserves a pat on the back for being so straightforward. At least with a councillor like her you get it straight from the shoulder: she is brilliant.

KNH is more like a quango now, not accountable to anyone.

Maureen Jackson

Dalton

Say no to Tesco

TO the people of Mirfield I say stick to your guns and boycott Tesco stores.

I have not been into a Tesco store since they aggressively took over the old Hillard’s store in Huddersfield in 1986, and I shall not change my mind.

Elaine Merlin

Skelmanthorpe

Charitable view

IT WOULD be a wonderful world if there was no need for charity shops (Tim Radcliffe’s letter, Not Another Charity shop in Holmfirth, August 18).

I wish there was no need for the Debra Charity and that we did not need to raise money for children dying from the, as yet, incurable disease Epidermolysis Bullosa.

It would be great if there was no need for the Kirkwood Hospice or Forget Me Not Trust. Terminally ill children and adults could be left to die in hospital wards instead of these wonderful hospices that are designed to make what is left of their lives comfortable and pain free.

Age UK? Well old folk can just take care of themselves, they don’t need any help do they?

As for the horse and donkey sanctuary, well who cares about animals?

Well I care about all of the above and unfortunately it seems the only way they get funds is through charities and shops obviously play a huge part in raising money for them.

As a bona fide trader we pay the same rent as any other trader.

Some of our customers say they come to Holmfirth because of the charity shops not in spite of them and whilst they are here they visit other shops, coffee bars and spend money thus contributing to the local economy

Perhaps Mr Radcliffe would like to see all the wonderful donations given to charity shops taken to a landfill site, giving unwanted items to charity shops is recycling at its best!

Finally I would say, perhaps Holmfirth is not as vibrant as it once was, but please don’t blame the charity shops… surely it is better than having seven more empty premises in the town?

Mrs Lindsey Devons

Manager Debra Charity

Thanks to Mike

GRATEFUL thanks to the kind young man (Mike) who came to my rescue on Sunday when I had the misfortune to burst a tyre in Longwood.

Before I had time to ring anyone, he offered to change the wheel for me and refused any payment.

The age of chivalry is certainly not dead.

Shirley Bostock

Edgerton