Letters - 24 October 2012

West country plea

Twenty NHS trusts in south west England have each invested £10,000 to set up a pay cartel to look at reducing pay and eroding terms and conditions in the area.

Twenty eight ‘staff cost reduction potential opportunities’ (their words not mine!) have been highlighted in a cartel document.

These include reducing pay, reducing annual leave, increasing the workload and decreasing sickness absence.

Local unions and CSP members across the region are working hard to try to stop this going any further by lobbying trust board meetings, and through staff petitions.

An e-petition is available at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/36063.

It’s also available on the CSP website.

Visit: www.csp.org.uk and search for ‘regional pay’. We urge all CSP members to sign and ask their family and friends to do so as well.

This is currently only happening in the south west, but we’re sure other regions are watching with interest and can’t wait to jump on the bandwagon if savings can be made.
James Allen and three other CSP stewards, South West England (by email)

Separation anxiety

Why are the Olympics and Paralympics still separate events, despite being under the London 2012 banner?

The fact the Paralympics was a separate event reflects the lack of social inclusion facing people with impairments.
Venthan Mailoo, University of East Anglia (by email)

‘Bias’ condemned

The last edition of Frontline really pushed the limits of what I find acceptable.

The lead letter was on energy medicine and then there was the article on reflex therapy (‘Feet first’, page 32).  

All the acupuncture stuff was so one-sided (News, and ‘Physio findings’, page 18).  

The week before, I had posted a contrarian view on the Vickers meta analysis and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on iCSP, and yet the mouthpiece of the profession gushes positivity, as always.

All scientific discourse has two sides. Can’t you recognise that we are a science-based profession?
Steven Bathe (by email)

The editor responds:
Thanks for your comments.

The letter you mention was in response to an earlier article that criticised energy medicine.

We hope this shows that we try to publish contrasting views.

The new NICE guideline’s positive message about using acupuncture for headaches was reflected in our news report.

If NICE had condemned its use, we would have reported that too. Physio findings summarises what is stated in a relevant journal, and does not take sides.    

Dubious decision

With regard to the letter in the last edition of Frontline titled ‘Enthusiasm rekindled’, I am not sure if this the appropriate forum for what is basically advertising for someone’s course.
Peter Heine (by email)

The editor responds:
Point taken. What struck us was how reinvigorated Ms Graves felt after her experience