Doctors still oppose Craven's health link with Harrogate

I am concerned that the proposed joining of Craven with Harrogate may be imposed upon us, with the people of Craven not knowing why and not knowing of what I think is a better alternative - joining with Airedale.

It is the Government's intention that all PCGs (Primary Care Groups) become PCTs (Primary Care Trusts). PCTs are much more independent than PCGs, and will both commission and provide services.

Dr Julian Allen (chairman of Craven PCG) has, quite rightly, explained that the Craven PCG is too small to take the next step to PCT status. Craven, therefore, has to find a suitable partner.

There are two realistic options: Harrogate and District PCG, or Airedale PCT (i.e. the general practices in the Worth Valley and Ilkley areas). It is important to point out that in spite of the similarity of name, Airedale PCT, and Airedale Hospital are different, and totally independent organisations.

In the article in the Craven Herald of October 13 last year, covering the Craven PCG Board meeting at Bentham, Julia Murfin reported "The board heard that a legal document only just received from the NHS Executive outlawed creating Primary Care Trusts which spanned Health Authority boundaries".

The "legal document" referred to was, in fact, only a draft that had been circulated for comment by interested parties. However it appears to have strongly influenced the Craven PCG board in its decision to pursue the Harrogate option, as Harrogate is in the same Health Authority area as Craven, while Airedale is not. It has since been confirmed that in certain circumstances, e.g. where a natural community is involved, a PCT may cross a Health Authority boundary.

For myself, l entirely agree with what Dr Pickles had to say at that meeting, and what Dr Alan Hassey and his partners at Fisher Medical Centre said in their letter to the Craven Herald.

The gist of their statements was that the Airedale option had not been fully and properly explored, that the majority of GPs in Craven favoured, at the very least, exploring the Airedale option; that the future of Airedale Hospital had not been considered, and that some members of the Craven PCG board represented or were employed by organisations which may have different priorities.

As the Craven PCG board was appointed by, and is a sub-committee of, the North Yorkshire Health Authority (based in York), it is hardly surprising that it is strongly influenced by that authority.

In my opinion North Yorkshire Health Authority has done everything in its power to skew the decision towards Harrogate. Whilst they have paid lip service to the Airedale option, virtually nothing has been done to give this fair consideration.

We in Craven owe North Yorks Health Authority no favours - they have under-funded us in the past. In fact, in some instances, Craven patients attending Airedale Hospital have had to rely on services paid for by Bradford.

It is Government policy to bring about ever increasing cooperation between Health and Social Services, with the object of eventually merging the two services. As Harrogate and Craven are both in the same local authority area, the process would be relatively simple. As I see it, this is the only real argument in favour of the Harrogate option.

Should Craven join Airedale it would be more difficult, but perfectly feasible. There are already examples of Trusts doing this (e.g. Selby/York). Should organisational and political convenience be put before the long- term quality of patient care?

There are, in my opinion, important advantages to a merger between Craven and Airedale:-

1 The Government wishes mental health services to be run either by a specialist trust, or, in some largely rural areas, by a suitable PCT. At the moment, Craven's mental health services are run by Airedale Hospital. If Craven joins Harrogate, it has been suggested that its services should be split: in-patient services provided by whoever is running the Airedale mental health wards (probably Bradford), and out patient services by Harrogate. The professionals in mental health are not happy about this arrangement.

On the other hand, if Craven joins the Airedale PCT, there would be a good chance of this larger PCT taking over mental health services for the whole area, basing their new service on the present Airedale Hospital system, which received praise from the independent Sainsbury review.

2 Airedale Hospital's best chance of long-term independent survival (ie locally governed and locally accountable) is to be surrounded by a strong and friendly Craven/Airedale PCT. This PCT could significantly influence services provided by the hospital. If, however, Craven joins Harrogate, Airedale PCT on its own may be forced to join North Bradford, and there would then be the distinct possibility that Airedale Hospital would be taken over by Bradford. It would be a satellite hospital, almost certainly offering a smaller range of services, resulting in patients having to travel to Bradford more often. Worse still, if Craven then had to negotiate with Bradford for hospital services, it would be a very small player with very little clout.

3 Airedale and Craven are served by the same Ambulance service, WYMAS, which also, incidentally, runs NHS Direct. This could well have future implications for "out of hours" services.

4 Craven/Airedale would serve a natural geographic community. Many of the health care professionals in this area know each other, and often have the common background of having either trained and/or worked at Airedale Hospital. The same could not be said of Craven/Harrogate.

My background: I have spent most of my life in Craven, including 24 years as a GP in Skipton. More recently I have been a non-executive director on the Airedale (Hospital) NHS Trust Board. I am now simply a Craven resident/patient.

My only concern is for the best long-term medical, and social care for Craven residents. I have no political ambitions! I strongly support Craven's desire to keep its identity, and remain in the county of North Yorkshire. In my opinion this could be achieved, and Craven patients best served, by Craven forming a federal PCT with Airedale PCT.

Dr Tom Gibson,

Stirton.

Spoilsports

SIR - Well said Mr Fothergill (Craven Herald Letters, January 5). The spoilsports are at it again.

I have regularly walked my dog in Embsay woods for the last 10 years and never once have I had to take evasive action to avoid cyclists or motorcyclists.

The complainants are probably the same people who moan about youngsters hanging around town centres, the parish churchyard etc. We should support children and teenagers playing in the fresh air and getting away from watching TV or playing computer games.

Children can't be wrapped up in cotton wool forever but need to find out about the knocks and scrapes which they will come across later in life.

Incidentally, in your initial report on this subject the police spokesman said that motorcyclists should stick to approved areas. Can he tell us where those areas are in Embsay or Skipton?

D Radcliffe,

Regent Drive, Skipton.

Test validity

SIR - Last January, in appeal, the local education authority relied on using highly dubious and since discredited material to assert that coaching had no effect on the selection tests. It also drove a coach and horse through the appeal panel code of practise by not disclosing this evidence before the appeal.

In appeal, in order to show that a child is suitable for grammar school, it is necessary to question the validity of the tests as a whole. If you cannot then there is no point appealing as the tests would be reliably showing your child to be unsuitable.

As we approach the next round of appeals, parents are now being told that any consideration about the validity of the testing scheme is to be excluded. This was allowed last year and used extensively by the LEA.

It is important to know why this is important. As the LEA selects exclusively by testing it runs into legal problems if it goes above the 28 percent cohort as happened after the re-appeals in July last year.

It is in the interests of the LEA to have as many appeals turned down as possible as it has already decided upon its 28 percent by testing alone. The more appeals allowed, the bigger the inaccuracy and the more ridiculous the LEA's view that coaching has no effect.

One has to ask therefore on whose authority consideration about testing reliability has been excluded from the appeal panels' discussions?

Some of your newspaper's readers may be wondering why there is no push for a ballot about selection as there was last year in Ripon.

After this year's results if there was a vote it is likely that all of the parents at Greatwood primary school - one of Skiptons' largest - will not even get a vote as that school has not sent enough pupils to the grammar schools in the last three years. All of the parents at the private school Westville in Ilkley would get a vote.

Craig Howie.

skiptonselection@aol.com

Hall Croft, Skipton.

Grants withheld

SIR - I read with interest the article on students giving up courses after Christmas and that help is available from the Individual Learning Account, or ILA (Craven Herald January 5).

I applied for this account last summer after making enquiries at college about courses that would enhance my qualifications. I was awarded the maximum award of £150 off courses and, as the course most beneficial to me cost £400, I felt I was able to commit to the course Advanced Diploma in Childcare and Education.

It was not until I had begun the course that I found out the course was not on the ILA's funding list as it is deemed to be higher education.

As an NNEB of 16 years, I have worked in various childcare positions all unstable and, although rewarding in job satisfaction, monetary reward is lacking. This is the first chance I have had to gain extra qualifications to complement my work, so I was excited at the prospect of being able to do this with financial help.

I have had very little help from the college in advice and support and even less from the ILA. To add insult to injury, students from West Yorkshire also applied for ILAs and have had theirs accepted for this course. As pointed out to me by the college and the ILA, my options are to pay myself or give up the course.

I find the course stimulating, exciting and most of all beneficial to my work with children. If I were on benefits then there would be no problem.

Should I give up work and claim Family Tax Credit? It would certainly give me more time to study but I have always worked and enjoyed contributing to our family income (my husband is in a low paid job after two redundancies). We both work hard to bring up our three children just above the Family Tax Credit cut off line.

Doing this course I hoped would help me gain more secure employment in a demanding and ever-changing field.

I cannot understand the logic in helping adults with funding in further education while discriminating against those seeking higher education. If I wanted to do extra GCSEs, NVQs or computer skills then they would count, but not the course that tops up my NNEB qualification.

Yes, I may be giving up my course after Christmas, but because I cannot find funding for it, not because I want to.

Janet Clarke,

Byron Street, Skipton.

Winter fuel payments

SIR - Re winter fuel payments.

I have been struggling since autumn 1998 to obtain the winter fuel payment for that year. Eventually, in mid-December 2000, I obtained the £200 for the winter of 2000 via some branch of the Beneifts Agency based at Cardiff, this only after threatening to consult our MP.

They did not send £150 in respect of the previous year, merely a compliment slip. I have now written to David Curry seeking his help.

There is however another aspect of this sorry affair which warrants scrutiny. I understand that if and when late payments are made in respect of 1999, this is in the sum of £140 only. Yet legislation is now in force whereby late payments may attract a penalty.

I suggest that far from reducing the benefit it should therefore be enhanced in these circumstances to £160.

All this of course begs the issue, it is presumably Chancellor Brown's wish to ensure that those over 60 should receive this benefit in time to use it for the purpose intended. Fat chance.

Bob Swallow,

Duke Street, Burton-in-Lonsdale.

Dancing revival

SIR - It was very interesting to read of the number of dances advertised on the front page of the Craven Herald 50 years ago and the bands which played at them.

The only band to survive from those days is the Beresfords, and only a small number of dances are left.

In those days most of the village dances could boast that they had three or four generations at the same dance and the big town dance closed its doors at 10 o'clock to keep the drunks out.

As for the dancing, it took place in halls with seats round the sides only used for sitting on between dances. It is a pity that the youth of today are being led by the fashion portrayed by the media and the breweries and they are only left with a postage stamp to dance on amidst a sea of tables piled up with Blackpool beer and dancing with the skills that the extinct African and Amazon tribes would have laughed at.

It would be nice if some form of society was formed involving young and old to collect, preserve and perform the past before it is too late. If any club, group or village organisation wishes to revive the traditional dances of the Dales, I would be only too pleased to do what I can to help.

D Feather,

Yorkshire Dales area representative,

Old Time Dance Society,

Hill Top Road,

Hainworth, Keighley.

Good causes

SIR - I would like to thank all the volunteers who helped in the (Christmas) Cards for Good Causes Christmas shop in Skipton Town Hall, the town hall staff for their hospitality and all the customers who bought cards in support of the various charities. Once again the venture proved successful with the charities benefitting from your support.

Joyce Young,

Organiser,

Witts End, Sutton.

Secret strategy

SIR - As should be taught in schools, what best suits the finance industry is not what best suits the public. I refer to developments around Settle and the public inquiry about turning the King's Mill in Settle into housing.

Back in history, at the notorious Bingley bypass inquiry, when it was discovered that the consequences were outside the inspector's remit, we protestors (I had the honour of being among them) stopped the inquiry and the bypass is still not built.

Nor, as a consequence, has the intended knock-on extension of the M1 motorway across Bradford to Skipton, and on via Skipton to the M6 near Kendal along the shortest London to Scotland route.

We only knew about the consequences because I flew in an aircraft photosurveying the region in the 1930s and saw the maps later - five motorways intended across Craven.

The same restrictions about not disclosing the consequences again applied into the inquiry into developing King's Mill. All questions about who the development is for were not within the inspector's remit, the same as at that Bingley bypass inquiry.

Other planning applications to do with these still secret but intended motorways were no doubt the hotel at Coniston Cold and the falconry centre at the north end of the Settle bypass. The once intended closure of the Settle to Carlisle railway and the privatising of the railways was indisputably to make transport so awful that people would have to use cars is all part of the same secret strategy.

RD Leakey,

Sutcliffe House, Settle.

Good work

SIR - I would like to respond to two points in Mr Simpson's letter (Craven Herald January 5). If people want to have a say in who goes on the council they should attend the parish meetings or make their view known.

We have an excellent councillor in Gargrave who gives her time to anyone who needs her help, for instance in filling out forms. She can also be seen around Gargrave picking up rubbish, planting bulbs all in her free time. She reaps as she sows.

GN Taylor,

Marton Road, Gargrave.

Countryside march

SIR - As someone who does not hunt, but whose primary interests involving the countryside are conservation, breeding and horse racing, I write to remind everyone who reads the Herald to try to join the Countryside March in London on March 18.

To register, so as to enable the organisers to distribute information more effectively, just ring 0906 7881680.

The slogan of the march is "liberty and livelihood", both of which are at risk under the present government.

John D Clark,

Carr Head Lane, Cross Hills.

Old school ties

SIR - Could I draw the attention of Craven Herald readers, particularly those who attended Parish Church School, Skipton, that the above society's next lecutre will be entitled 200 Years of Education, the story of Skipton Parish Church School.

The lecturer will be Isobel Warrne, who published a book on the subject last year.

The venue of the lecture will be the Swadford Centre, Swadford Street, Skipton, on January 18, 7.30pm.

I am looking forward to meeting any of my former classmates from my era at the school when it was in Otley Street.

Peter Bewes,

Burnside Crescent, Skipton.

Meningitis

SIR - Many of your readers will have seen last week's excellent news about the reduction of cases of group C meningitis and septicaemia since the introduction of the vaccine in November 1999.

However, whilst the news is greatly welcomed by Meningitis Research Foundation it's not the end of the story. There are other major forms of meningitis and septicaemia - the blood poisoning form of the disease - which are still not vaccine preventable.

These can result in death or disability in one in four people affected - mainly babies, children and young people.

Meningitis and septicaemia can kill in hours and we would urge people to remain vigilant about their signs and symptoms. Meningitis Research Foundation's 24 hour helpline, a free call on 080 8800 3344, can provide that vital information at no cost. Making a call to our helpline could save a life.

Meningitis Research Foundation is a national charity whose vision is a world free from meningitis or septicaemia. We fund research into the prevention, detection and treatment of these diseases, including research into vaccine development and raise awareness of their symptoms.

To carry out this work requires help and Meningitis Research Foundation relies on public support. There are many ways to help, from straightforward donations and events to sponsorship opportunities for organisations and individuals. Anyone wishing to help in the continuing fight against these devastating diseases can contact the organisation on 01454 281811.

Julia Warren,

Meningitis Research Foundation,

Midland Way,

Thornbury, Bristol.