The Times - UK (2021-11-10)

26 Wednesday November 10 2021 | the times

Letters to the Editor

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students. GPs valued the extra time

that students could spend with

patients, taking a full social history

for example, and patients were happy

to have longer to discuss their issues.

Students overcame their concerns

about working in deprived areas,

realising that GPs in such areas could

make a positive difference to the lives

of their patients, and that working in

these environments was not what

they had feared it would be. As a

result they were more inclined to

choose to work in such areas.

Professor John C McLachlan

University of Central Lancashire

School of Medicine

Sir, Everyone should have access to

high-quality healthcare regardless of

where they live but banning family

doctors from taking up roles in certain

areas is not the answer. Working in

more deprived areas where people

tend to have greater and more

complex health needs requires very

specific skills, and forcing doctors to

practise in places that are not right for

them is unlikely to encourage them to

stay in the profession or indeed serve

the best interests of patients in the

long run. We need more GPs and to

support those working in the most

challenging areas with proper

resources so that these places can

both deliver for patients and become

more attractive for staff.

Dr Richard Vautrey

Chairman, BMA GP committee

Sir, It’s actually rather tiresome being

a GP in an affluent area. I only ever

did this briefly as a locum, preferring

longer-term posts in more deprived

areas, where there was more

appreciation. The work might be

harder in some ways but not in others.

Affluent areas have lots of patients

who are educated in their own field

but not in medical matters. However,

they tend to lack insight into this,

which makes for a demanding,

sometimes difficult-to-engage patient

group, who mistake their Google

search for a GP’s training and

experience. I would also venture that

there is an increased probability of

working with empathic, kinder

colleagues in the more derived areas.

Finally, given the arrangements for

out-of-hours cover, a GP is not

compelled to live in their practice area

and could live in a leafy suburb while

commuting to a more deprived area to

work. There are numerous advantages

to not living in the practice area —

not being seen in Lycra by patients in

the local gym being one of them.

Dr Jessica Jones

Ret’d GP, Sunderland

Nobel’s reputation

Sir, I am not sure if Professor

Geoffrey Alderman (letter, Nov 8) is

right about Nobel prizes, but I think

the analogy with the title of emeritus

professor is inapt. While conferment

of the title of emeritus professor is

nowadays routine, it is not automatic,

and the considerations are not

confined to academic merit alone.

The question to pose is whether, had

the information that emerged later

been known at the time, the title

would have been conferred. I am

confident that, in the case of Anthony

Blunt, it would not. I should like to

think that if the issue had arisen in

the time when I chaired the senate of

the University of London the outcome

would have been different, and Blunt’s

title of emeritus professor would have

been revoked, as was his knighthood

and his honorary fellowship of Trinity

College, Cambridge.

Professor Graham Zellick QC

Former vice-chancellor, University of

London; Wothorpe, Cambs

Sir, It is somewhat surprising that

Nobel laureates (letter, Nov 9) are

objecting to the endowing of a

professorship in the name of

Alexander Mosley, the grandson of

Oswald Mosley, a young man who

tragically died of a drug overdose.

Presumably the Nobel laureates were

happy to take the prize money named

after (and directly linked to) Alfred

Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, a

man described as a war profiteer, the

owner of munitions factories and who

grew wealthy from inventing ways to

kill and maim. He was no doubt

responsible for countless deaths.

David Osmond

Barnoldby le Beck, Lincs

Badge of abuse

Sir, I had not realised how progressive

I have become (“M&S pronouns”,

letter, Nov 9). For some years I have

regularly worn a badge at work that

announces I am willing to be

addressed by a wide variety of

pronouns, attached to a wider variety

of adjectives. It reads: “Referee.”

Mike Thexton

Richmond, Surrey

Let there be light

Sir, In response to Nicola Evans’s

letter (Nov 9) on having to buy lamps

to soften the light in a holiday rental,

we have never had this problem.

Trying to read a book in holiday

cottages, hotel rooms and especially

hotel sitting rooms requires, in our

experience, the attachment of a

strong caver’s head torch.

Marylyn Dent

York

Corrections and

clarifications

6 We cited a Soil Association report
as stating that each year the poultry
industry uses 2.2 million tonnes of
imported soya as feed (Comment, Nov
3). In fact the report said that overall
soya imports are 3.2 million tonnes,
and the majority of imports from
South America are used as poultry
feed. The figures are disputed by the
Agricultural Industries Confederation,
which says the poultry meat sector
uses 1.26 million tonnes of imported
soya bean meal for animal feed.
6 We reported an allegation from the
China Africa Project that Sharon
Duncan-Brewster, a black British
actress, had been removed from a
poster promoting the film Dune in
China (World, Oct 27). The China
Africa Project has withdrawn the
allegation, which was false. Multiple
posters, not all of which portrayed
Duncan-Brewster, were used to
promote the film in both Chinese and
English-language markets. We are
happy to make this clear.

We are
committed to
abiding by the
Independent
Press Standards Organisation rules and
regulations and the Editors’ Code of
Practice that IPSO enforces. Requests
for corrections should be sent to
[email protected]

Sir, In assessing MPs’ second jobs, it is

worth noting that in terms of time

needed and the potential for conflicts

of interest, all cabinet ministers have,

by definition, second jobs (“Outside

jobs add ‘richness’ to parliament, says

minister”, Nov 9). As an example of

conflict of interest, should the MP for

Uxbridge & South Ruislip (one Boris

Johnson) put his country first or his

constituency first when discussing

Heathrow’s third runway?

Martin Vlietstra

Fleet, Hants

Sir, In your editorial (“Bad Chaps”,

Nov 9) you say that Boris Johnson

should go further “if he is to address

the perception that his is a

government prone to cronyism and

sleaze”. You are correct. Boris

Johnson should, for once, do the

honourable thing and just go.

Stephen Arbery

Defford, Worcs

Sir, Dr Bill Jones (letter, Nov 9) rather

gives his game away by naming David

Forcing doctors to work in less affluent areas

Sir, While the health secretary’s

concern about levelling up the GP

workforce in England (“Doctors set to

be barred from jobs in richer areas”,

Nov 8; letters, Nov 9) is to be

welcomed, I note that the analysis on

which the Social Market Foundation’s

essay was based did not adjust data

on GP staff per patients for age, sex,

or other characteristics related to

patient need. Some affluent areas

have high needs for primary care

because they have older populations

with chronic, degenerative disease.

Some deprived areas have lower

needs because their populations are

very young. Robbing Peter to pay

Paul in such instances would simply

result in health care inequality.

Further, while the aims of addressing

health inequalities are laudable, such

disparities stem from wider

inequalities in early-life adversity,

education, income and housing rather

than differential access to healthcare.

Professor Sheena Asthana

Plymouth Institute of Health and

Care Research

Sir, Several years ago we ran a

programme at Durham Univeristy

that offered senior medical students

extended placements in GP practices

in deprived areas. We found that this

was highly rated by GPs, patients and

Integrity of MPs

Gauke, Anna Soubry, Philip

Hammond and Rory Stewart as able

MPs consigned to impotence. The one

thing they have in common is that

they were all prominent Remainers. A

way to ensure MPs are better

qualified to do their job is not to allow

them to stand for parliament until

they are at least 35 years old. This

would mean they would have to get a

proper job before entering parliament.

Sandy Gammack-Pratt

Storrington, W Sussex

Sir, Clare Foges misunderstands the

compact of the electorate with

parliament (Nov 8). MPs are elected

not only to represent us in parliament

but also to deal with leylandii. If there

is no place for a citizen to take an

injustice or grievance there is no

democratic accountability and hence

no democratic legitimacy. We fell out

of love with the EU at the point that

approachable individuals representing

geographical areas were replaced by

lists of anonymous politicians not

really connected to anywhere. This

must not happen to parliament.

Gillian Dunkeld

London N2

School rejects

Sir, Anthony Seldon’s Thunderer (Nov
8; letter, Nov 9) on the futility of
repeated GCSE resits chimed with me
as an exam invigilator for 13 years. I
have just finished invigilating this
year’s resits and, as always, there were
students who rested their heads on
their arms or gazed into space, being
unable to attempt all but the easiest
questions. I have also acted as reader/
scribe for many students with
particular access needs who from
conversation appeared to be capable
learners but whose confidence and
self-esteem had been eroded by
repeated failures in maths and English.
I would also question the logic
behind requiring a young man with
learning difficulties who wanted to
help in an animal shelter being
required to sit an exam in animal
husbandry and illnesses. The result
was extreme distress on his part as
even with a reader/scribe he could
not attempt the exam. In the shelter
he would always have been
supervised, the exam was not their
requirement and again what little
confidence he had was destroyed.
Pat M Mobley
Lytham, Lancs

Sir, I can confirm Anthony Seldon’s
assertion that the state education
system is failing our children. I visited
three prisons recently and witnessed
the accuracy of Ministry of Justice data
suggesting that 57 per cent of adult
prisoners have literacy levels below
those expected of an 11-year-old. The
consequences of a failed education are
far-reaching and multi-generational.
The costs are borne not just in the
justice system but also in health, the
workforce and across society.
Lady Studholme
High Sheriff of Devon

from the times november 10, 1921

CHINA

AS A

MARKET

Green science test

Sir, Young people must do more than

demand more and faster action at

Cop26. We need them to bring their

perspectives and creativity to the

workforce that will engineer and

implement solutions to climate

change. They should aspire to the

roles that will influence our response,

including decarbonising our

infrastructure, energy, industry and

transport. We know that students are

optimistic and passionate about

improving the world. It’s good they are

up for the challenge because the UK

needs hundreds of thousands more

engineers to be a green science and

engineering superpower, and achieve

net zero by 2050. Recent investment

in education in the comprehensive

spending review and plans to teach

more about climate change are

welcome. But we need a Stem

education strategy too, with careers

provision at its heart, that sets out

how the future workforce of scientists

and engineers will be secured.

Dr Hilary Leevers

CEO, EngineeringUK

thetimes.co.uk/archive

Hitler impressions

Sir, The historian Andrew Graham-

Dixon has just been blacklisted by

Keir Bradwell, president of the

Cambridge Union, for doing a Hitler

impression, which is something that

almost all of us have done

occasionally over the past 80 years. I

have written to Mr Bradwell to ask

him to put me on his blacklist, and I

wish to use the letters page of The

Times to urge all historians, writers,

artists, scientists and public

intellectuals to write to any student

union, academic or public institution

that practises cancel culture,

demanding to be put on their

blacklist. I also call on them to

boycott these institutions absolutely.

Louis de Bernières

Denton, Norfolk

In the absence of the Chinese

Minister, who is attending the

Washington Conference, Mr Chao-

Hsin Chu, Charge d’Affaires, was the

guest yesterday of the Rotary Club

of London at luncheon at the Hotel

Cecil. Speaking on the “Commercial

Opportunity in China”, he said that

country was a great international

market, and her door was wide open

to the world in general and to Great

Britain in particular. As a source of

raw material and a market for her

manufactures there was no country

outside the British Empire which

could answer Britain’s purposes

better. It was necessary for China to

remain peaceful, without foreign

interference which would damage

the sovereignty and independence of

China and hurt the feelings of the

Chinese people. Therefore it was

important for British businessmen to

see that China was allowed to take

care of herself, and peacefully to

prosper commercially. Great Britain

should lend China a helping hand to

ward off outside intervention.

(Cheers.) There were rumours that

China’s internal troubles stood in the

way of foreign trade, and that foreign

assistance was needed to solve them.

They must not believe the

scaremongers. It was true that China

had internal troubles, but so had

Great Britain. The Chinese were a

peaceful people — a trading people,

whose whole aim and object was

peace. China had to carry out a work

of development and education such

as could hardly be imagined in this

country. China’s qualities explained

why Great Britain had so often

found money for development in

China, why Chinese investments

stood so high, and why young

Chinese came here. But there were

only about 250 Chinese students in

England, whereas there were over

2,000 in American colleges and

universities, because America

provided Chinese students with both

facilities and means. America’s trade

with China had greatly increased in

recent years, partly, it was true,

because America took advantage of

war conditions, but largely because

of pro-American Chinese advocating

the use of American goods. Why

could not England do what America

was doing to induce Chinese

students to come here? The benefit

would be mutual, and would

indirectly help this country to solve

the problem of employment.