LETTER: Scathing criticism of NHS is counter productive

I was particularly annoyed about one published by way of an article in a recent edition. I myself a few months ago was at death’s door and was rushed into the accident and emergency, where I also had to join the ‘trolley queue’. 
But rather than moan about it, I knew that everything that could be done, was being done, for me and all the other patients on the trolleys.

The A&E, whilst being very busy, would not seem half as bad if the visitors would read and adhere to the notices, asking for no more than two visitors at one time. Yet during my spell, I saw as many as four people round some trolleys, chocking up the corridor, and as a result hindering the doctors and nurses from going about their duties.

We all have loved ones who would like to be present, but there is nothing that they can do, yet they impede the people who can. It maybe that I am a little callous, I do not know, but I asked mine to go home as the hospital would notify them of any changes.

The chaos that was mentioned does not only apply to the A&E, and most level headed people know why this is, and a letter or two does no harm, providing that the criticism is directed at the right people for the right reasons.

We in Chesterfield are not special, so this ‘chaos’ that is spoken about is a national problem and not to consider it to be the case is nothing more than a ‘kick in the teeth’ to the Chesterfield Hospital staff.

I am myself considerably older than your correspondent’s father, and I am also indebted to the hospital staff and did not hesitate to write to the hospital to thank them for their care and concern. To pull them to bits in a scathing criticism is in my opinion counter productive, and to localise the NHS failings is not the answer to the ‘vox populair’. The problems are the responsibility of the people at the top.

So an overwhelming deluge of letters to these people could have an impact. 
My opinion on what is wrong with the NHS, for what it is worth, is not the lack of money, but how it is spent, and the greed of a certain section of the population to take the NHS for granted. But unfortunately they are aided and abetted by a certain misguided brigade.

R. Gray

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