SCOTLAND’S devolved health service is run differently to that south of the border and I have every faith in Jeane Freeman and Nicola Sturgeon to do everything possible to provide treatment for expected numbers of patients suffering from the coronavirus.

Suggestions, however, by the UK Government’s Backdoor Boris and the wee boy Hancock, that retired NHS staff may be asked to return, is logistically almost impossible.

Even if they retired in the last couple of years, they will usually be unregistered, which would take time to remedy, and their skills will be out of date, causing them to be considered unsafe to practise. Upgrading will be needed but who would be free to retrain them?

In myriad specialities, it would take several months to make these practitioners safe, by which time we will either have recovered or be dead.

I am a retired radiographer, so my skills would not be frontline in the same way as those of nurses and doctors. However, I am insulted on behalf of all NHS staff. It seems that those in the UK Government suggesting this plan think that it will be dead easy for folk to jump back confidently into their highly skilled jobs with a mere flick of their fingers. Have they no conception that skills needed in attempting to save lives are hard-won and need to be kept seriously up to date? They would need to be safe to practise, not only in inexperienced Matt Hancock’s opinion, but also in their own individual opinions.

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Why should retirees be expected to bail out this heinous UK Tory Government, which is systematically and insidiously dismantling the NHS in England by cutting bed numbers and causing huge staff shortages? Had they understood the need for contingency plans, not caused a hostile environment for non-UK nationals and allowed for some slack in the system, the situation would not be as dire as it now stands.

The National:

Many retirees have also said that conditions in the NHS in England are so stressful because of lack of adequate numbers of staff, in order to maintain their physical and mental health, they are glad to be out and would not return.

If staff return to work, who will insure them?

If staff return to work, what rates of pay would they expect? If their expertise are to be adequately valued, surely top scales should be expected.

Of course, private providers will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of charging inflated fees to desperate UK ministers for supplying staff to bail them out.

It’s like asking retired soldiers to return to fight a war by the very same people who have drastically cut their numbers.

Sadly, Tory policies over the past 10 years are now returning to confront this ineffective UK Government.
Patricia Farrington
Bowmore, Islay

AS Scotland enters a new decade, the upcoming 2030 climate target will no doubt be on many people’s minds. It is a powerful reminder of the importance of a united and proactive approach to driving climate action. Scotland’s target, which requires the reduction of carbon emissions by 75% compared to baseline levels, calls for direct action to be taken across all sectors.

Scotland is already making great strides and is on track to generate 100% of the country’s electricity demand from renewables by the end of this year. What’s more, major steps are being taken in the transport, agriculture and housing industries, including plans to enforce new and improved energy efficiency standards in private rented property from April this year.

These measures are a great start and demonstrate how Scotland is tackling its biggest sources of emissions. However, if we are to reach climate targets, changes must be consistent throughout the country. We need to see the same progress in other areas, including Scotland’s public sector, which contributed 1.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2017.

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Achieving carbon reduction across Scotland’s many schools, universities, councils, hospitals and other public facilities will play a key role in reaching the goal of a sustainable future. Simple measures such as upgrading street lighting, replacing outdated boilers and installing modern heating and ventilation systems have the potential to achieve huge energy and financial savings.

Although finance may often create barriers in the public sector, funding options are available. The Scottish Government can support organisations to take action through interest-free loans which are paid back through the savings on energy efficiency projects.

Scotland is already ahead of the curve when it comes to reducing emissions and to maintain this momentum, the public sector must continue to move forward as a key player in the effort to reach net zero. Ambition must be matched with measurable results and I urge any of your readers working in the public sector to consider the value and impact of their own contribution when it comes to reaching Scotland’s climate targets.

Together we can all play our part.
Jack Saunders
Scotland Programme Manager at Salix Finance