Focus on targets is so risky

Oct 24 2007 by Kevin Core, Birkenhead News

THANK you for reporting the story about our Greasby dentist, Mr Clive Morgan.

He is a caring and considerate gentleman. His work concentrates upon the comfort and perfection of the results of his dentistry to each patient.

He is forced into deciding to retire because he is “not hitting his target”.

Dentists, as with doctors, have been plagued by this “target” business.

They lead to short cuts and on many occasions give no benefit to patients or at least not the kind of results doctors and dentists would like to see as a result of their devotion to their professions.

It is high time for a total review of this exceedingly unprofessional and at times risky approach to patient care.

What has happened to Mr Morgan will no doubt happen again and again until we all stand up and force a reversal of this risky approach forced upon both practitioners and patients.

GEORGE M NIEMAN

Selfish twitcher

FOLLOWING the letter in last week’s edition (“Twitchers to blame”), I feel compelled to complain about this group of people who, rather than chastising everyone else for being inconsiderate and selfish, are often the worst culprits.

On Sunday a group of us who own horses decided to hack them down from Frankby to West Kirby beach for a run along the sand flats.

There was plenty of beach available between the tide and the rock pools and we were aware of the need to be wary of the wading birds which frequent this estuary at this time of year.

A “twitcher” who had previously been standing still to one side ahead suddenly jumped in front and began waving his arms frantically and shouting something about the birds, which were hundreds of yards away and further out from the shore.

The actions of this idiot made my own horse startle and throw a good friend who was riding for us that day on to the sand.

The rest of the ride broke up and took a couple of minutes to regroup, one of them having to then try and hold their own horse while also trying to catch a loose one.

The others dismounted and checked on our friend, who thankfully was not seriously injured but was quite shaken, sore and was unable to work the following day.

The “twitcher” stood idly by, not offering to help in any way the situation he had just caused.

By trying to protect his “precious” birds he had very nearly caused serious injury or even a fatality.

Not one of the many dozens of wading birds that were still on the beach further out took flight. They never even moved.

To those people who were still on the beach when my horse was trying to rear and also to those who patiently waited by the junction of Dee Lane and Grange Road, I do apologise.

The problem was not due to our having an untrained horse but because one silly, selfish bird watcher thought that birds who, even had they been disturbed from their feeding would surely just have resettled, were more important than the safety of horses, riders and everyone using the beach.

This one arrogant individual spoiled what would have been a lovely experience for all those riding, and a wonderful sight for all those watching.

Horses by nature are “flight” animals, easily startled and once startled can be difficult to calm down again.

Perhaps he can bear in mind the beach is a wonderful facility for all to use.

A HOWARTH,

WEST KIRBY

Victory for people

HOW arrogant of Stephen Hesford to say that not building a surgery on green belt land at The Warrens is “a disgraceful decision” when it is obvious that the development is not what local folk want!

The decision is a victory not for any political reasons but simply because the people of Wirral are fed up of having their precious and attractive green spaces taken from them and concreted over.

One needs look no further than adjacent Arrowe Park to see what happens when green open spaces are grabbed for such developments.

The Warrens is a rare example of the right decision for the right place for the right reasons.

KENNETH BURNLEY,

IRBY

Second failure

I AM delighted that the Planning Committee decided not to build a health centre on the green belt.

The PCT failed to present any special reasons, and this was the second time this application failed for the same reason.

What part of democracy does MP Stephen Hesford fail to understand?

The decisions reached by no less than two planning council committees a number of years apart, by an overwhelming majority was no.

Committee members are elected by the constituents they represent and they were speaking on behalf of those citizens whatever their political views.

Stephen Hesford is only speaking for himself, and the British public have had enough of a dictatorial attitude from so called high ranking politicians - listen to the public and leave the green belt alone.

H S CAMERON, CHAIRMAN, WIRRAL COUNTRY PARK FRIENDS GROUP

Consider options

I AM delighted that Wirral Planning Committee has rejected the planning application for a “super” primary care premises on the Warrens nursery site.

The unification of services of the surgeries serving Heswall, Pensby and Thingwall at this location would result in a very large complex, swamping this pleasant semi-rural location with heavy traffic, congestion and further urbanisation.

The fortunate coincidence of the availability of the Warren site and the intentions of the PCT led to a blinkered one option solution.

While the present surgeries may have deficiencies, in the provision of personal primary health care dispersed surgeries in the communities served may be, in fact, the option preferred by patients.

Well done the campaigners.

The remarks attributed to the local MP of a “disgraceful decision” suggest that he has no regard for the due processes of local democracy.

Rather than rushing off to appeal, the authorities concerned might give time and thought to other options rather than attempting to bulldoze both a planning decision and a protected area.

C P VELLENOWETH,

BARNSTON

Academy absurdity

THE proposal to turn Birkenhead High School for Girls into an Academy - a posh comprehensive- is absurd.

Vacancies in Wirral comprehensives are increasing by about 400 a year.

Even so, six grammar and 10 out of 16 comprehensive schools filled over 90pc of their Year Seven places, but four comprehensives struggled: Rock Ferry filled 85 out of 259 places; Park, 108 out of 252; Oldershaw, 116 out of 234; Bebington, 138 out of 241.

Birkenhead High School has an excellent record of educating girls of high ability, but none of educating students of lesser abilities or with special needs.

The claim that as a comprehensive it will attract or retain girls from outside Birkenhead is nonsense.

Firstly, public transport from South and West Wirral and Cheshire is poor, and few Wirral parents ferry their children long distances to comprehensives.

Secondly, many parents will transfer their 11-plus girls to selective schools much nearer their homes for example, to West Kirby or Wirral Girls’ Grammar Schools, which have 32 vacant places in Year Seven alone.

Other parents will seek places at Calday Grange or Birkenhead Boys schools, which take girls in their sixth forms.

I predict that by September 2009 most pupils aged nine or older will have left, and promises not to infill current classes abandoned.

DON HARRISON