My pal put it really well...thanks Beryl!

"Alan does not take any interest in issues that don't affect his constituents but does VOTE on them eg the government commissioned a risk assessment on the proposed changes to the NHS, Alan voted with them NOT to publish this before votes on the changes. A highly significantly unhelpful vote which denied decision-makers crucial information on an issue which he's supposed to keep out of.

I understand that the Labour Party does not contribute to discussion of specifically Scottish affairs...but neither does it vote on those issues. Talk about power without responsibility Mr Reid.

The sloppy thinking of the Libdems is really really dismaying."

Surely there is some restriction on this kind of behaviour....isn't there? Al Reid seems to think it's OK but he's a pompous arrogant LibDem MP with an eye on his future prospects....regardless of the constituents he represents. Not seen him in Islay since the Islay Show last August when celebrations are the norm!

To Alan Reid MP ....14.06.13

Dear Mr Reid,

I must thank you for all your replies to mine and Beryl's letters. Strange how the thought of publication galvanises....

The quote below is gobsmacking!

Al Reid...12 June 2013

"Regarding the English NHS I strongly hold the view that this is a matter for the people of England and their elected representatives and that we Scots should not be interfering in their decision making. That is why I have not devoted much time to that subject, concentrating instead on those issues which do affect my constituents."

You seem to be of the opinion that although you are paid, particularly generously in my opinion, to represent your constituents in Westminster, you feel able to pick and chose in which areas you want to be involved and can justify ignoring the rest. It's comfortable I'm sure, but not acceptable.

I think Beryl has taken you to task in this area too.

 Nice work if you can get it Mr Reid!

I previously suspected that you never read any of the information I sent you regarding my concerns about the NHS in England or the knock-on effects I expect in Scotland: and now I am convinced I was correct! 

Perhaps Independence from England isn't such a bad idea after all. We would conceiveably be more honestly represented by all our parliamentarians.

Your comments about previous governments using private healthcare services is perfectly valid. 

I disagreed with this in the past, so my position hasn't altered. Having worked in the NHS in both England and Scotland for about 40 years, I find it absolutely immoral to allow personal and corporate profit to be made from sickness and disablement. In a Utopian world this would not be possible but we have to live with what we have now. We have a moral duty to strive to improve life for patients now and in the future. Allowing privateers to make huge profits from taxes paid by UK residents, to provide "free" healthcare for all, cannot be condoned. You say that services are still "free" for patients but that is not true. In some areas, some services which were previously provided "free" have now been removed from NHS lists and patients have to "go private". Varicose vein and cataract surgery have been quoted to me but you must have access to much more information than I, and will be able to verify these reports.

Retorts quoting lack of adequate government funds to provide comprehensive healthcare will not wash. Your obfuscations about the £3billion are ridiculous. This money should have been borrowed, as originally promised, and used to fund healthcare services. A penny or two on working peoples'  tax is a drop in the ocean. Had this been presented as (reliable) hypothecation to be spent entirely on healthcare, it would have been accepted by the residents of the UK. It is perfectly obvious that the decimation of the NHS is an ideological plan by greedy Tories, which you LibDems should be ashamed of facilitating! In my naïveté I could not at first accept this....but there is no alternative explanation.

Beryl and I are spending unprecedented numbers of hours, voluntarily, attempting to support a local, comprehensive healthcare review in Islay, about which you may or may not be aware. Our commitment to a better future for patients here goes without saying. I hope you will revise your opinion and take some interest in what is happening to patients in your constituency. I assure you that Alex Neil MSP and Michael Russell MSP are involved. 

Yours sincerely,

Patricia Farrington.

Letter from MP Alan Reid LibDem re £3bill NHS Clawback

Dear Ms Farrington

I assume that the £3 billion you are referring to is the underspend in the English NHS Budget over two years. This £3 billion never existed. If the English Department of Health had spent this money the Government would have had to borrow it, but since they didn’t spend it, the Government didn’t borrow it, saving the taxpayer interest payments.

There were several reasons for this underspend, including employing less administrators than planned and savings being made on major computer projects. It has been normal practice during successive Governments for departments to have unspent allocations at the end of financial years.

Yours sincerely

Alan Reid

This came today June 11th 2013 after many months of waiting. Could it have had anything to do with the fact that my friend had sent a joint letter to the Campbeltown Courier telling of the fact that this MP wouldn't answer awkward questions about the NHS & other stuff he finds difficult? Could it be that Tim Farron, who couldn't tell him he has to answer or Alastair Carmichael his Chief Whip who could tell him, had run out of excuses and made it all up on the hoof?

I informed Alan Reid of my utter contempt and that I think he & his pals in government must have classes in obfuscation. This cash could have saved jobs, shortened waiting times in A&E departments and been ethically sound. 

Ileach 23.05.13 Reply to Alan Reid MP

I was grateful for an Ileach reply from Alan Reid as he refuses to answer my question asking where the coalition has spent the £3 billion they clawed back from last year's NHS budget. So as not to bore the pants of Ileach readers, I didn't include in my last offering, the list of 63 LibDem Peers who voted on April 25th to force privatisation of the NHS in England; but this and details of private companies making profits from NHS funding can be found on xraypat.blogspot.co.uk The new Health and Social Care Act replaces the UK government's "duty to PROVIDE care" for patients with a "duty to PROMOTE" healthcare. Services are removed from skilled NHS providers and handed to those with experience of running airlines or busses. Services in England must be put out to tender to find the cheapest. Whilst private companies like Virgin are making profits from our taxes thousands of nurses are being sacked. 6,000 NHS beds have been closed since the coalition came to power and NHS hospitals can now have 49% of their beds for private patients. MPs and Lords with shares in private companies providing NHS Services, voted in favour of private enterprise in order to profiteer from sickness and disease. Can that be morally justified? NHS cash is allocated by the government, but instead of it all going towards patient care, chunks of it are being trousered by greedy shareholders, making them rich during a time when poor peoples' benefits are being squeezed. Not privatisation? What is it then Mr Reid? NHS staff and funding are decimated to the point of collapse! So they tell us we "need" the private sector to save it as there is no money to improve it. So where has the £3billion of UK taxes gone Mr Reid? I am concerned about Mr Reid's complacency and acceptance of the disappearance of this cash.

1) I understand via Unison, that in Suffolk, Serco under-bid the Community NHS Trust by 7% (£10million) to provide the same service and cut staff by 15%.
 2) As far as I can assertain, Harmoni earns £100million a year from NHS contracts and was recently criticised for not providing enough doctors Out Of Hours. They have 13 directors paid £345,000 an increase over 4 yrs 379.17% Annual turnover £32,764,000 Annual Profit £1,043,000
 3) In the name of efficiency, NHS Direct in England was replaced by NHS 111 where untrained call centre employees replaced qualified nurses. It is cheaper to pay a minimum wage, but do we want medical advice from people who don't have much of a clue?
 4) NHS funding of private sector increased by £3 billion in 6 years (Guardian)
 5) LIBDEM PEERS who voted on April 25th to force the Privatisation of the NHS Addington, Lord Alderdice, Lord Allan of Hallam, Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, Lord Avebury, Lord Barker, Baroness Benjamin, Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, Baroness Brinton, Baroness Burnett, Lord Chidgey, Lord Clement-Jones, Lord Cotter, Lord Dholakia, Lord Doocey, Baroness Dykes, Lord Falkner of Margravine, Baroness Garden of Frognal, Baroness German, Lord Hamwee, Baroness Harris of Richmond, Baroness Hussain, Lord Hussein-Ece, Baroness Jolly, Baroness Kirkwood of Kirkhope, Lord Kramer, Baroness Lee of Trafford, Lord Linklater of Butterstone, Baroness Loomba, Lord Maclennan of Rogart, Lord Maddock, Baroness Mar and Kellie, Earl Marks of Henley-on-Thames, Lord McNally, Lord Miller of Chilthorne Domer, Baroness Newby, Lord Northover, Baroness Parminter, Baroness Phillips of Sudbury, Lord Randerson, Baroness Razzall, Lord Roberts of Llandudno, Lord Roper, Lord Scott of Needham Market, Baroness Sharkey, Lord Sharp of Guildford, Baroness Shipley, Lord Shutt of Greetland, Lord Stephen, Lord Stoneham of Droxford, Lord Storey, Lord Taverne, Lord Teverson, Lord Thomas of Gresford, Lord Thomas of Winchester, Baroness Tope, Lord Tyler, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, Lord Wallace of Tankerness, Lord Walmsley, Baroness Watson of Richmond, Baroness Williams of Crosby, Lord Willis of Knaresborough.

BBC Trust Complaint & Reply

Thank you for your email to the BBC Trust. I am responding as a member of the BBC Trust Unit which supports the Chairman and Trustees. I note your concerns about the BBC's coverage of proposed NHS reforms. I should explain that the role of the Trust is distinct from that of the BBC's management and it has no role in day to day editorial decisions, such as which news items to report or in how much detail. The Trust sets the BBC's Editorial Guidelines, which set out the values and standards all BBC content should meet. However, decisions on editorial content, within these guidelines, rest ultimately with the BBC's Director-General as Editor-in-Chief. There is a BBC complaints process in place to deal with instances where audiences feel that the BBC has not met expected standards. This requires that complaints must be dealt with in the first instance by the BBC's management; the Trust's role in this process is to consider appeals from complainants should they be dissatisfied with the responses that they have received from the BBC's management. You can read details of this process online at www.bbc.co.uk/complaints I have therefore passed your email to BBC Audience Services so that they can provide you with a response on behalf of the BBC's management. I hope this will be helpful. Yours sincerely John Hamer BBC Trust Unit -----Original Message----- From: Patricia Farrington [mailto:xraypat@hotmail.com] Sent: 28 April 2013 13:47 To: Trust Enquiries Subject: NHS Dear Sir/ Madam, I am dreadfully disappointed that the BBC did not report the cataclysmic vote in the House of Lords last week, which paves the way for the final destruction of the amazing NHS. The BBC is funded by licence fees paid by taxpayers and, although I realise you must appeal to a disparate audience and have viewing figures to consider, the blackout of news on this historic occasion mystifies and appalls me....and I assure you I am not alone. It seems obvious that the Corporation is governed by an ex Tory Minister and conforms to Tory propaganda: and this in an organisation which purports to have no political bias. We are not deceived; your bias is unnacceptable. On the day of the vote in the HoL a man being treated for bowel cancer was so angry and frustrated that there had been no news reports of this momentous occasion, he pushed a toy pig from Kings Hospital to Downing Street WITH HIS NOSE for four miles, in order to highlight the lack of reporting and the perception of so many politicians with their noses in the trough. You must have known this was happening....all News Channels were alerted but the break up of some insignificant, juvenile, boy band was reported as the momentous news on that day! Great priorities... I really do not think? Who do you think we are out here? The Great Unwashed who are too stupid to understand the insidious sell-off to profiteers of the most important service we have in the UK? I am disgusted. Yours sincerely, Patricia M Farrington MBE Isle of Islay, Argyll.

Mass Observation Archive - My Offering Sunday 12th May 2013

I was born in Manchester and have a brother 10 years older who still lives in Manchester and a sister 7 years older who moved to Devon about 40 years ago . I trained as radiographer after being educated at an RC convent High School. I am 66 years old and married to the same man for 46 years. He was Leading Ambulanceman for 28 years & now retired like me. We are both fairly healthy, try to keep fit and eat sensibly. I gave up believing in any kind of god 40 years ago. The idea is ridiculous to me. We came here for our honeymoon in 1967 and have lived on the Island of Islay for 43 years. Our 3 children grew up & were educated here, extremely successfully, until they left for university at 18. Our eldest daughter is a GP in England after working for a few years with Medicines Sans Frontieres mostly in Africa. She has a husband and beautiful twin daughters aged 8. Our son lives in Vancouver & designs hydrogen fuel cells when he's not engaged in serious sport. He has a girlfriend and enjoys a great life! Our youngest lives nearest in Glasgow. She & her husband have a lovely son aged 3. She is a University project manager. I retired 6 years ago from my part-time single-handed post as radiographer/ultrasonographer which I had held for 36 years. I had been on call 24/7 for 30 of those years until the WTD was introduced by the EU making it compulsory to allow me regular time off. I was awarded an MBE in 2006 for services to Radiography & to the Community - for my 20 year involvement in fundraising to build and run a community owned swimming pool in our village. I am a committed Labour Party supporter & horrified at how the rightwing UK government is ruthlessly tearing apart Public Services. The NHS in England has been sold off piecemeal to make profits for privateers at the expense of services, which have decreased dramatically. NHS in Scotland has so far been exempt from privatisation because responsibility is devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Who knows what will be the outcome after the Independence Referendum in 2014 ? Sunday 12.05.13 I woke at 0230 then again 0630 ....sure it's yet another sign of age. Tea always my first drink of the day....no milk or sugar. Breakfast was cereal with fat free milk and blueberries, followed by coffee. Weather is damp and chilly as forecast. More like November than May. At least the wind has dropped but garden is sad -looking and plants waiting to go in when it settles. I am involved with a Healthcare Group & frustrated that the local Review is getting complicated. Lots of chatting on the 'phone and exchange of emails today. Swam half a mile in the community owned pool in our village. Lunch was poached eggs and toast followed by an orange and coffee. It continued to rain and was particularly cold. Spent lots of time on Twitter and writing up minutes of last Thursday's healthcare meeting. Went next door to chat with a couple on holiday who have expertise in management of healthcare. Very useful contacts and interesting talk about remote areas in Alaska where the innovative community provide care themselves with block funding from government. Newspapers arrive in the afternoon by ferry. Collected the Observer from the village a mile away. This will provide reading matter for a couple of days. I dislike the adverts for very expensive clothes & accessories. I have complained to editors but it continues. Not sure to whom it is aimed...no-one I know can afford this stuff and it's mostly over the top! I like the political articles. Lots of protest marches about the demise of the NHS and the Bedroom Tax. A woman aged 53 committed suicide this weekend because she couldn't afford the added rent she was asked to pay . It's the poor who are suffering deprivation whilst the rich get richer as they have shares in private companies now providing healthcare and social services which used to be provided by the state. A couple of weeks ago a man with bowel cancer pushed a toy pig, with his nose, from a London hospital to 10 Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister, to highlight the plight of the NHS and the fact that "fat cats" in government are voting for and profiting from it's sell off. There was no media coverage; posing the question of who controls the media? Dinner was roast chicken and vegetables with yogurt to follow. I am trying to lose weight ...again...and find it hard. Not able to run as the weather is so bad. I spend too long sitting at the computer! Lovely to see grandson having his bath from Glasgow, on ipad's FaceTime; keeps us close although geographically far away. Short 'phone chat with daughter about twins & relaying news from her brother who plans to be home in July with several friends, for his 40th birthday. She is always busy! Husband watching football on TV . Our team Manchester City lost the FA Cup Final yesterday. Sadness all round! Bedtime about 11.30pm with milky, decaf coffee & an excellent, funny novel by Lionel Shriver about the effects of serious illness on an American family and the changes in their relationships. This was a fairly typical Sunday ....had the weather been better we might have played golf! "I donate my 12th May diary to the Mass Observation Archive. I consent to it being made publicly available as part of the Archive and assign my copyright in the diary to the Mass Observation Archive Trustees so that it can be reproduced in full or in part on websites, in publications and in broadcasts as approved by the Trustees."

Frustration : No Media Cover of NHS Sell-Off

Today I sent a letter to the Independent, Guardian, Herald, Scotsman, Observer & Ileach because I am disgusted with the lack of media cover of this awful momentous decimation of our precious NHS.
Not holding my breath for any results but I probably feel a bit better for doing a little something...especially when Chunky Mark pushed the pig to Downing Street...he is a hero.

Dear Editor,
I wonder why you are not reporting the wholesale sell-off of NHS services in England by this corrupt coalition government. A man with bowel cancer pushed a pig from Kings Hospital four miles to Downing Strret, WITH HIS NOSE, in protest but not one newspaper or TV news report mentioned it; although the breakup of some juvenile boy band was all over TV screens.

On the same day in the House of Lords they voted to implement Section 75 of the Health & Social Care Bill which makes it compulsory to put NHS services out to tender. Private profiteers are offering to provide services such as palliative care for children with cancer, diabetic care, arthritis care and all manner of other previously state monitored clinical services; and commissioning GPs have to chose which to use, within their tight budgets.  Ambulances in London are already run privately and nurses' numbers have been reduced by thousands.

Private health providers must make profits for their shareholders, many of whom sit on the Lords' benches. How can they do this without reducing staff, wages, access to clinics and rents?
It's not rocket science.
This government of greedy Tories and LibDems are getting away with giving taxpayers' money to unscrupulous businesses, which cannot be held to account. They are allowing the decimation of the NHS which has served us exceptionally well since 1948.

In such a huge enterprise there will always be mistakes and they are all terrible but practitioners are human and humans sometimes take a wrong turning. The way to deal with this is to sort it out, root and branch not abnegate responsibility and sell it off in chunks to big businesses like Serco, Virgin, Circle or G4S who cannot be held accountable to the community.

Second Letter to Papers in 2 Days re NHS

Sent to: Independent, Guardian, Scotsman & Glasgow Herald 31.01.13

Dear Editor,

In the light of the fast-approaching demise of the NHS, why hasn't the Tory/LibDem Government admitted where they have spent, or plan to spend, the £500 million remaining in Treasury coffers, which I understand was clawed back from last year's NHS budget for England? Apparently, from the original £900 million they allowed £400 million to be "rolled over" into the budget for this year. However there seems to be a mystery concerning the remainder and my MP for one, hasn't answered my question about it.
Scots seem generally unperturbed by the Governments' ideological wrecking of the NHS because NHSiS is devolved; but ramifications of decisions made in Westminster are bound to be detrimental to our most precious Service throughout the UK.
We should be incandescent and shouting from the rooftops!

Yours sincerely,

Patricia M Farrington MBE

Letter to Press 30.01.13 Re NHS Concerns

To be forwarded to as many newspapers as I can find addresses for....

Over the last few months I have become increasingly concerned about issues I am hearing from staff working in the declining NHS. Nurses are losing their jobs at unprecedented rates and wards are so understaffed that those working on them miss many of their breaks for food, drink and toilet visits. They are under huge amounts of stress because they are unable, under these conditions, adequately to care for their patients, try as they will. During the last week or so I have been particularly worried about staff who feel their impassioned requests for help from managers are being constantly ignored. Because of this feeling of inadequacy they show signs of  depression. Generally staff are unwilling to complain because jobs are scarce and they cannot afford to be labelled whistle blowers or troublemakers.
Of course, I realise that this Tory Government (and I include the collaborationist LibDems) are proceeding with ideological plans to privatise the most treasured asset we have in the UK, with unprecedented haste, regardless of consequences to the citizens who need and use this amazing service; and I despise them all for it. They are obviously prepared to run the NHS down so much that it will not be able to cope, at the risk of patients' treatments and of their lives; so that they can say only private providers can save the hospitals and other NHS services on which we rely. Private providers must care first about profits...it goes with the definition. This leaves taxpayers shovelling our taxes into their greedy pockets whilst they cut pay and conditions for those "lucky" to be working for them.
I live in Scotland, NHSiS is a devolved part of the Government in Edinburgh; why am I concerning myself about Englandshire?
I worked in this amazing organisation for 40 years both in England and Scotland as a radiographer / ultrasonographer. Family members have done much the same and are still involved in front line jobs. Nurses and other professionals are losing jobs in Scotland too and the whole insidious business seems corrupt. Private providers of NHS services stand to make enormous amounts of money from our taxes and this will go directly into the coffers of share holders, many of whom are politicians. Some are front bench ministers who promoted this desecration. This has to be at least immoral and at worst illegal.
Many healthcare professionals are complaining, joining marches and signing petitions but these are hardly ever reported by the media....especially the BBC which is supposed to be a well-respected public service organisation. WHY? The government is riding roughshod over the wishes of the citizens of the UK and are virtually unchecked. HOW has this been allowed to happen? We should be incandescent with rage and shouting the sorry truth from the rooftops with loudhailers.
I am frustrated and very angry. I can understand how NHS workers would want to strike or commit civil disobedience because they are angry and frustrated just like me. However they are very unlikely to do anything which would put the safety and well being of the patients at risk...and the government are relying on this to achieve their aims as quickly as possible because they must be aware that people will not vote for these greedy, arrogant MPs in 2015. However by that time irreversible damage will surely have been done.
We should be ashamed of what is happening in our name; and not only in the NHS.
I know that politicians like Andy Burnham MP and his team are working 24/7 to try to minimise the damage being caused. Also the NHA Party was instigated to promote and publicise the terrible predicament we find ourselves in.