Moan & Groan
The Pathway to Death
To say I’m concerned about a disquieting report recently published in a daily tabloid newspaper would be an understatement. The report highlights an allegation that patients in the NHS and Nursing Homes are being killed off, let me quote.
“Under the so-called ‘The Liverpool Care Path-way’ which is used across the NHS, and in many nursing homes, doctors can withdraw assistance from the terminally ill and sedate them continuously until death.” unquote. One of the ways of doing this is to inject them with morphine, until the patient becomes semi-conscious and gives up the will to live.
I am not talking about euthanasia, where a loved one’s suffering or dependability has become so unbearable that the sufferer has requested assistance in ending their life. Here it may be right that patient, if able, and members within the family circle make a conscious decision to give support to the idea.
What alarms me is that some doctors are taking it upon themselves to decide ‘if or not’ someone will die or live! A national audit found that 28 percent of relatives were not informed that a love one had been entered into the ‘dying phase’ and it is thought that 20,000 patients are killed off this way each year in the UK.
It is in such a Machiavellian way that around 20,000 sick and terminally ill, in the UK have their lives taken from them each year.
When you realize that about 2,800 loved ones a year are kept ignorant of the fact that a family member has had their life deliberately terminated by a doctor, then there is something radically immoral within the system. This may in itself be illegal. It certainly beggars belief!
In order to ‘dumb them down’ patients are given sedatives that they do not need, and fluids deliberately withdrawn to hasten death.
How can the so called experts within the ‘caring system’ take it upon themselves, in a seditious way, to bring about the death of a loved one without their consent or knowledge of the family involved.
I always accepted as true, that Doctors within our National Health System had taken an Oath to prolong life where possible, so why is it that they are now following the so-called ‘Liverpool Care Pathway’ and placing the very vulnerable into ‘The Dying Phase’ for 33 hours without even informing those that really need to know, the family.
It dumbfounds me that a fellow human has the impudence to consider himself or herself above that of the Supreme Being.
It is my belief, when death is unavoidable, and with the full consent of family members, that only then should consideration be given to the withdrawal of treatment.
What makes it worse is that the ‘National Care of the Dying’ audit found that a quarter of hospital doctors are not properly trained to deal with the dying, and yet have to deal with it.
Successive ‘Governments’ have got rid of respite care and geriatric wards, so that hospitals are left with a bed crisis. I wonder, if there are instances where the shortage of beds out ways the importance of life.
When it is thought that a patient has genuinely entered into ‘The Dying Phase’ then communication between the patient, doctors, and family has to be a priority.
Having become elderly myself I hope none of these practices are carried out at The Princess Royal in Telford, or the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital! I don’t want to be ‘snuffed out’ before my time, it would be nice to be afforded the courtesy which would allow me to say goodbye to those I love.
One does not want to be sceptical!
The Codger
Hi! My name Sing Ding Ping.
Many year ago I bling wok dis country and learn make gleasey cheap chips. I live Oakengates Telford, and work wery hard wiv wok and pay many triad taxes as takeaway man.
Now no happy Chinaman!
Weason I now no happy is yesterday my day off, so I go Wose and Clown, Ketley Bank for beer. On door it say no smoke on plemises, so finking boss man want me bling smoke in I light cigarette and go to bar.
Boss man he go wery wed in face and say police come. I fink he say please come, so I say ‘Where you want me come?’
He now say Mr Brown and Blitish Govment stop smoking in pubic places
I say Brown unlucky colour in China
He then tell me ‘Go!’
So I say ‘You wery wude man!’
He then fro me out on stweet.
On stweet I stamp on cigarette to put it out. Then man grab me and say he from Reekin Council and say I must pay £60 for putting fag out on stweet.
Now I no fink white!
Boss man from plub laugh and fink it funny. I tell boss man he must be Blitish Govment agent who not want people grow old.
He ask why I fink that.
I say in China all Chinaman smoke and live many year past 100 but China Govment pay no pension. Blitish Govment pay pension so ban smoking so people die before get old so Blitish Govment save money.
I still no happy Chinaman so may up chopsticks take wok and leave Telford Shropshire
Sing Ding Ping
Hypocrisy of immigration policy
The hypocrisy of the Prime Minister’s announcement that the government intends to clamp down on immigration is breathtaking.
His party promoted unchecked immigration. Anyone who questioned that policy was silenced by being branded a racist, but now, while every other aspect of our lives is governed by strict and stifling regulations, foreign workers are exploited and worked like slaves.
Meantime, unemployment and the benefits bill for our own citizens climbs exponentially, but this is only legal immigration I speak of. No-one actually knows how many have arrived in the past 12 years and overstayed their visas.
Without the immigration authorities rampaging around like the SS, it would be impossible to find them and enforce repatriation, and the costs would be crippling. It would be better for all if there were an amnesty, but there won’t be because if there were, the scale of it would bury Labour forever.
Robert Jenkins
Stirchley
Telford
Shropshire
Is it entirely superfluous to suggest that, instead of spending thousands of pounds on initiatives to prevent youths gathering on street corners,
we invest a few pounds in youth clubs?
Instead of closing them or not refurbishing them, it might be a good idea to build the odd new one.
Of course by the time it (this suggestion) has gone through all the various bureaucracy it will not serve the people it was intended for as today’s
youth will be working.
Andy Chetwood
Telford
Shropshire
Village pub for sale
A pub in the heart of a Shropshire village has been put up for sale, sparking fears that the new owner may not keep it as an inn.
There are four pubs in Pontesbury should the Red Lion be sold, councillors are worried it could be turned into something else.
Since the smoking ban pub after pub has had to close in Shropshire and throughout the country!
The Codger
British service men and women back in the country from active service in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be given free entry to matches at Shrewsbury Town Football Club.
It is about time British service men and women were given a few ‘perks’ they are grossly underpaid, and still nowhere near as well equipped as the Americans although they are expected to carry out the same task.
I for one would like to thank all at New Meadow for showing the initiative that other large businesses and clubs could also adopt.
I understand that service men and women are allocated some free travel in order that they may visit their loved ones. However these travel warrants are limited.
Would it not be nice if on return from a war zone such as Afghanistan, our men and women are given as much free travel between base and home as necessary before being posted back into battle again?
The politicians who send our men and women into such conflicts enjoy free travel between home and parliament. Is it too much to ask that the men and women who are willing to lay their lives down for the country receive the same?
Well done to Shrewsbury Town Football Club and Jon Harris for leading the way!
The Codger
You Can’t Bring Me Flowers Any More
Three days ago the Mother of my daughter’s boyfriend had to be rushed to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford Shropshire with a suspected heart attack. Two days later her son went to visit her taking along a bunch of flowers thinking it would cheer her up.
It came as a bit of a bombshell when he learnt that patients are no longer allowed to receive flowers because of hospital health rules.
Today, during an interview on BBC Channel 1, a female union spokesperson representing nurses said “most hospitals now ban flowers on the wards, simply because of the battle against germs, and MSRA in particular”
However research in the British Medical Journal says the risks have been overplayed, nor is there any record of infection in hospitals being traced to bacteria in flower water.
I fully understand that nursing staff may be over worked, and changing water in vases is time consuming. Having personally received treatment in the Princess Royal Hospital I have nothing but praise for the nurses and the care I received. However! It may be thought that the comfort and wishes of the unwell would be worth the extra effort.
It seems the days when the scent of fresh flowers on our wards could well be a thing of the past, given time no doubt books, and even visitors will be banned also on the same grounds.
Should not the powers that be rethink the whole matter?
The Codger
Feeling flattened by theft
On November 14 I bought an ironing board from Asda at Donnington Wood. It was the first item to go through the check-out and I propped it against the counter while I attended to my other shopping.
It was not until late afternoon I realised I had left it at the store. It had been my husband’s funeral the previous day so I was not thinking clearly.
A very uninterested member of staff on the customer service desk told me nothing had been entered in the returns book and Asda could not be held responsible.
I returned to the store the next day and spoke to the duty manager who was a bit more understanding but her reply was “there are a lot of dishonest people around”.
I hope the person who stole my ironing board sleeps well at night but dishonest people have no conscience so have no problem sleeping.
Mrs Maureen Reynolds
Wrockwardine Wood
Telford
I have just watched Julie Walters play the part of Mo Mowland, it was all very sad but Julie Walters did Mo credit
Thank you Julie
TESCO WREKIN RETAIL PARK TELFORD
On 27th of January 2010 at approximately 9.00am with a baby in tow, I began my normal shopping for my families weekly provisions at the above shop, and at around 10.10am I was at the till paying for the goods in my trolley.
Having inserted my Visa Electron card into the machine (to pay for my shopping which was in excess of £100.00) the till operator asked me if I had an alternative method of payment, Because I knew there were sufficient funds in my bank account to cover the purchases made. I asked why?
The till operator then said this was what the till had requested. I told her there was not a problem with my card funding, and asked her to try again and add a £30.00 cash back to the total which was now £140.00.
Again I was told that my payment required an alternative payment. Annoyed, I again pointed out that there were sufficient funds in my account to make the purchases. I asked if it was okay to go to the cash bank outside the shop to draw enough cash to pay for my goods. She then called for an assistant who took my goods to the Customer Services counter.
On drawing £110.00 from the cash machine I noticed that the £110.00 and £140.00 had been deducted from my bank account.
Feeling very agitated I went back to the Customer Services counter I told the young lady that the two amounts had been deducted from my account. Perplexed she then telephoned my bank who confirmed that indeed the two amounts had been deducted.
The young lady said she would have to called for her Manager (after waiting10 minutes) another lady said she would again call for the manager (by this time my young baby was becoming very restless) after waiting a further 20 minutes a lady Manageress finally arrived at the Customer Services counter and informed me that the transactions had not been deducted.
Extremely annoyed at this point, I asked her why my bank had confirmed to the Customer Services that the deductions had been made. The Manageress then rang my bank who verified that the payments to Tesco had been made.
I was getting nowhere with the Manageress (now my baby was crying with hunger) Tesco had now taken from my bank account £250.00 for goods valued at £110.00 that I had not got.
Completely exasperated, I let the Manageress know that I would not be paying for the goods yet again, even though I had enough cash on me to do so.
I went on to let her know that I would be returning the next day if the situation was not resolved. She replied placidly it was OK, and not a problem.
The matter at Customer services had lasted about 30 minutes. Fuming I returned home and rang my bank who once more confirmed that the two transactions had in fact taken place.
Upon explaining the circumstances, the Bank told me providing I had not taken the goods from Tesco the Bank were prepared to stop the payments if I wanted!
So I asked them to stop the payments. Having halted the payments to Tesco my bank account was then credited back with the two amounts.
Almost two hours spent at Tesco, ending up without goods equals’ trauma!
The whole experience was annoyingly inconvenient and rather distressing for both my baby and me.
As a regular shopper at Tesco (Wrekin Retail Park Telford) with a weekly spend in excess of £150.00 per week and due to their recent lack of care and support, from now on, the majority of my grocery shopping will be purchased at Asda at Donnington, there I find the staff more helpful!
P.S (The Customer Services assistant at Tesco although polite did not get involved when the manageress eventually turned up)
I wonder if anyone else has experienced a problem such as this with Tesco
Very dissatisfied former Tesco Customer on her way to Asda
K.B
Just Who is The Fool Mr.Iain Veitch?
April 1st
Desperate for something to read, I purchased the only tabloid left on the stand. The Daily Express (Not my usual daily read) “however not to digress” On the leading page was a photograph of a great grandmother whom had recently been tagged, fined a £1,000, and given a criminal record for selling a goldfish.
There are times when the blood pressure tablets I take fail me, and my whole body seems to go tense, a surge of blood heads directly to my nose turning it bottle blue, and a sense of rage over comes me. This was such an occasion.
What scumbag of a misfit would take it upon themselves to persecute a mature lady for merely selling a goldfish?
Well it turns out to be a certain Mr Iain Veitch head of public protection (Whoever dreamt up that title deserves a medal) at Trafford Council.
It appears that the local Trading Standards Office set out to stitch her up by sending a fourteen old youth ‘who looked much older than his years’ into a pet shop which she owned to purchase a goldfish.
Apparently under the Animal Welfare Act of 2006 it is illegal to sell pets to children under the age of 16 unless they are accompanied by an adult.
We now live in a country where political correctness has created a class of dim-witted bureaucracy that has nothing better to do then hound an old lady who has never been in trouble with the police before.
I am glad that certain M.P’s have taken up her case, the sooner this conviction is over turned the better. The magistrate concerned must have been as dense as Mr Iain Veitch.
Everyday constrained by quotas, fishing boats discard a large part of their dead and dying haul, back into the sea. I trust Mr Iain Veitch bears that in mind when he next orders his cod and chips from his local chippie!