...............

Out in the car went the wife and I

To go for a drive to see what to spy

It had been a while since we’d been to Castletown

So off we did go without a frown.

Took in the sea views as we went on our way

It really began as such a great day

We planned for lunch and a little sit out

To have a skeet as to who was about

We drove to the square and saw lovely seats

And I thought by ’eck – we’re in for a treat

Now me wife she has a dicky old hip

And it does put a dampener on some of our trips

Me, well I’ve old footballers’ knees

And I don’t like to walk to far, if you please

So as we drove round, not a space we could see

Though, a few car parks down by the sea

So I said to the wife, ‘well what do you think

She replied – ‘let’s go ’ome for a park and a drink’

Name and address supplied

With interest I read your article on the Isle of Man Government promoting tourism through expenditure on new television advertisements.

It is good to see this being done as your island is a wonderful, interesting and safe place to visit.

In your government’s reported tendering process for ‘strategic seas services’ they should also address the ‘anti-tourist’ policy of the Steam Packet Company to join up their thinking and actions.

To explain – as a normal family we like to arrange our visits to fit in with a typical pattern of available days off. This means that, wherever we go, we want to arrive on Saturday and depart the next Saturday. This also seems to be the preferred holiday cottage rental pattern everywhere.

The IOMSPC provides a five-day discount fare.

With travel this only allows for a four-night stay on the island - not a full week.

Their fare structure for families to stay on the island for a full week family holiday cost significantly more.

So rather than financially supporting your tourism and hospitality sector for seven days we book the discount fare and you only get four days of spending from us on the island. I believe this is ‘anti-tourist’ and not in your best financial interests.

No complaints about the service on the IOMSPC.

However your government should seriously consider whether the ferry company is aligning itself with the best interests of your tourism economy and your government’s spending of your money on tourism promotion.

Peter Fellows

Heaton

Bradford

Copy of letter to Health Minister Kate Beecroft MHK

Dear Health Minister,

I recently had to travel to Liverpool to attend a hospital appointment – an experience I hope not to have to repeat!

The flight to and from Liverpool was on time and I was amazed to get to the hospital in time for a 9am appointment.

This, of necessity, meant that we were rushed from the start.

Hopefully, I looked forward to a relaxing journey from the airport.

But the transport turned out to be woefully unsuitable.

I must say that the gentleman who met and drove us was very pleasant and helpful but the transport was not.

We had a six-seat taxi with three normal seats facing the driver and three pull-down seats with their back to him.

Pull-down seats are totally unsuitable for hospital patients anyway but what made it even worse was that one was broken and dipping to a 45 degree angle to the floor.

As we were the last to get in of our party of four senior citizens and a couple somewhat younger, my husband, who has rheumatoid arthritis, was forced to sit on the broken seat, as I have had spinal surgery so could not chance using it.

Had he not been wearing a seat belt, he would almost certainly have slipped off each time the driver braked or went over a bump or pothole.

This was mentioned to the driver as we got out and my husband said he would refuse to use it on the return journey.

Two other passengers said the same.

However, when we were met for the return journey the seat was still broken. The unfortunate younger member of the party offered to sit there, which was very gallant of him, and very uncomfortable.

Luckily his problem was not an orthopaedic one.

My son travelled to Clatterbridge every three weeks with Bridgewater Taxis for cancer treatment before he died.

What could have been a harrowing experience was made more pleasant by a comfortable ride there and back.

He was even allowed to lie along the back seat at times when he was feeling really ill. A journey such as we had would have nearly killed him.

To have replaced an excellent travel service which has proved its value to islanders over many years with one that has no proven track record, in order to save a mere £30,000 a year is a disgrace!

Our government could have saved that many times over if they had not insisted on constructing the far too large and unnecessary roundabout on the Cooil Road, or creating the chaos resulting from expensive regeneration schemes that are totally at odds with their surroundings.

I also feel the need to complain about the service we get at Liverpool Airport.

We had to wait almost half an hour to get a wheelchair, which meant that we had to rush through to the departure lounge with no time to stop for anything on the way.

At other times when we have had time to wait the seating is almost non-existent, especially at the departure gate for the Isle of Man.

I have seen businessmen having to sit on the floor in their suits because there was no seating available. Again, why should people coming home from hospital, sometimes after invasive surgery, have to put up with these conditions? And it seems that now, the idea of a quiet lounge for patients needing peace and comfort, has been scrapped.

This, too, is not acceptable and we should insist that the plans for such an oasis amid the noise and the hubbub should be reinstated and carried out without delay.

The island has close ties with Liverpool and our custom must be valuable to them. Please do not let us be treated like second class citizens any longer.

Rosalie Scott (Mrs.)

Ballabeg

The requisition meeting in Ramsey to discuss the proposed removal of endoscopy theatre equipment and staff from the Ramsey Cottage Hospital (with the consequent closing of the theatre) was a depressing affair for all who care for democracy and the principles of community consent.

Attempting to present their case for removing the endoscopy equipment and the theatre staff were the Minister, the DHSC CEO Mr Couch, and the hospital’s manager Mr Quinn.

I doubt anyone present in the audience believes the various stories offered by the Minister and her officials last evening. It seems purely and simply to be a ‘smash and grab’ raid on the equipment and staff resources currently being used to a gold star standard at Ramsey in order to compensate for poor planning and the inadequate resourcing of new theatre units at Noble’s.

Removing the equipment (bought by the RDCH League of Friends for the benefit of users of the RDCH) is possibly illegal and certainly immoral, and it is an insult to the many past and present benefactors to the League who would never have dreamt that their gifts might be purloined in this way.

As a consequence, as was made clear last evening, the League is unlikely to be able to raise much money at all in the future.

The proposed removal of equipment and staff and the consequent closing of the theatre in Ramsey have not been justified technical or morally, and DHSC officials with the Minister’s endorsement, have sought to keep all of this hidden from the public.

They have not taken opinions or advice from the people who do know, the medical staff at RDCH, the northern MHKs, the League of Friends, or the present and prospective users of the RDCH services from across the island. It appears to be a shabby and abusive attempt at the seizure of resources, apparently the brainchild of just one person, a proposal untested, unconsulted, unverified, based on what appears to have been an inadequate analysis of (one? two? three?) National Health Service delivery problems and with zero consideration of possible alternative solutions.

No data have been presented to support the case for the equipment transfer, there are no plans for evaluating the results, there have been no technical discussion papers, and no advisory forum. It appears also that the detailed proposal for an alternative approach to supporting the Noble’s endoscopy unit (the plan prepared by staff at the RDCH) has not even been looked at let alone considered by the Minister and her officials. There is an administrative arrogance here which is unacceptable in the Isle of Man although it may be a norm in the English NHS.

Most disheartening of all is the Minister’s apparent inability to cope with the issues, and her rubber stamp of the hasty decision by her officials.

It was an astonishing display of incoherence by the Minister and her staff, with probable depressing consequences for the users of the Isle of Man hospitals.

It amounts to an abuse of power which can have far-reaching negative impacts on the reputation of the Isle of Man as the issues become more widely publicised and the stored-up problems are experienced.

I believe that the northern MHKs should now request the Chief Minister to order the postponement of the proposed transfers of staff and equipment pending an auditing of the analysis done so far, and a formal consultation with all affected parties, including the medical staff of the RDCH, the League of Friends, northern MHKs, northern Commissioners, and the general public.

I urge the northern MHKs and the Chief Minister to take this action now.

David Kerrison

Sandygate