Letters: Where do I go now for treatment?

For staff who will lose their jobs this is a disaster. For patients who will lose their treatment, perhaps even more of a disaster.

This hospital is a lifeline to the many hundreds of people in this area who have come to depend on the unstinting care and expertise of all the staff.

Almost three-years ago I was diagnosed as having multiple sclerosis. The NHS will not prescribe Beta Interferon to ease my condition - too expensive I am told.

Massage, swimming, acupuncture and yoga all help to alleviate the pain and discomfort; however, I am required to fund these activities myself as they do not appear to be available through the NHS. How vital, therefore, has been the physiotherapy and hydrotherapy treatment prescribed for me at Scorton and what a devastating blow to be informed of the closure of this department.

We in this area have lost the facilities at the Duchess of Kent Memorial Hospital, now the same thing is about to happen at the hospital in Scorton. As a fully paid-up member of the National Health Service I would be most grateful if somebody could inform me where I (and many in the same position) will be able to continue this vitally important treatment.

JENNIFER SEARLE

Silver Street,

Barton.

Shameful loss

Sir, - Your very economical report on the closure of the acute services at St John of God hospital, Scorton (D&S, June 15) fails to acknowledge the shameful loss of the very vital services provided by the hospital for the local community which will result from its proposed closure at the end of July.

Physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and radiology will be amongst those affected. These are services which are already working to full capacity and beyond, in hospitals such as the Friarage, Northallerton and the Memorial hospital, Darlington.

At a time when the government is very sensibly pledging to work in partnership with private health care providers to help expand and improve our National Health Services to all those in need, this hasty decision seems to be somewhat inappropriate and ill-founded.

It is a sad day indeed when truly unique organisations such as the Order of St John of God are governed by hard faced accountants and misplaced executives commanding high salaries and making ill-informed, near-sighted decisions.

Perhaps they should listen to Health Minister Mr Alan Milburn's recent promise to "listen to the frontline workers" - they may even hear something vaguely relevant and significant.

Sadly they will wake up when it is all too late. Facilities and equipment will have been wastefully disposed of and the most important resource of all - the dedicated but disillusioned health workers - will have dispersed, in search of pastures new, yet another shade more cynical from their experiences of health care mis-management.

DEBBIE WALKER

Radiographer, St John of God

hospital.

Birch Springs,

Dalton-on-Tees.

Health puzzle

Sir, - There is something contradictory in removing hospital management to Middlesbrough and at the same time stating that local people will have a greater voice, as the latest health services shake up proposes (D&S, June 22).

What confidence can anyone have in all this, when the public were similarly reassured over the ambulance services merger and now the ambulance chief has had to resign, over poor call out responses.

So far so bad! And more costly consultation is to come. If it was not for 14 respite beds in Richmond, Richmondshire would be without any hospital provision. And, from documents released from NHS sources, there has been no consultation with alternative health providers Darlington Memorial hospital and the Ministry of Defence.

We were promised alternatives to choose from. Without them, why waste time and money on consultations?

Coun TONY PELTON

Joiners Cottage,

High Green,

Catterick.

Re-open DKMH

Sir, - With the closing of the operating theatres at St John of God, Scorton, our only hospital is the Friarage. No more messing about, open up the Duchess of Kent at the Garrison. It is for civilians as well as the military and wards are not for office use, they are for sick people.

B M JOHNSON

Oak Tree Drive,

Bedale.

Waste not

Sir, - As a former long term resident in the Darlington area, I was concerned to read (D&S, June 22) that recycling of household waste has not kept pace with efforts that began with glass recycling in the 1970s.

We have used wheelie bins in Australia for some time, although each council does not have a uniform method of collection.

Some collect as Treesavers already do, with kerbside collections of paper, cardboard and glass, while others use a divided wheelie bin, which takes papers, glass, cardboard, aluminium cans and some recyclable plastic which is shown and illustrated on the inside of the lid of the bin. The larger side is for general waste. As burning is prohibited, another bin is provided for green waste (garden waste) which is recycled, heat treated and sold as mulch.

The refuse trucks pick up the bins, which are placed close to the kerb, with a large automatic arm depositing the contents into a divided slot.

Only one wheelie bin is allocated to each address, and one for green waste. Some flat owners found that space was at a premium. Stealing of bins was an early problem, with householders having to "buy" another one.

Mr Keith Atkinson, is correct in that "there are a lot of issues" and the cost is only one of them, but it is imperative that these issues be addressed because the issue of landfill affects us all wherever we live.

MARJORIE L BROWN

Headlam,

Nr Darlington.

Thriving uplands

Sir, - Like many of your readers, I was delighted to read of the recent survey conducted by the Yorkshire Dales National Park (D&S, June 22), which showed the importance of the Yorkshire Dales for upland waders.

This comes as no surprise, however, given the recent scientific paper by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Game Conservancy Trust, which clearly shows that wader numbers are up to five times higher in areas where there is a gamekeeper present than on other upland areas.

Those of us with experience in upland management have long since known that the combination of well conducted grouse and sheep management provide the best economic future for the hills upon which other service industries, such as tourism, thrive.

THE EARL PEEL

President, The Game Conservancy Trust.

Masham.