Letters: "Shame on you for disgraceful headline"

From the archive, first published Thursday 12th Apr 2007.

SHAME on you for the disgraceful headline in last week's Clacton Gazette.

A calumny by a hack journalist and an editor who should know better, on the crew of the good ship NHS and all who sail in her.

Rectal proplapse or herniation is an uncomfortable, embarrassing, at times painful, condition, but agonising, never. Unless the whole thing is strangulated, which is less likely than winning the lottery.

As with any prolapse or herniation it comes on gradually, with plenty of warning signs that muscles are slackening. I suspect that Mrs Harvey soldiered on, as do most of her generation, until something had to be done, and was then distressed by the treatment delay.

Probably she had no experience of the market place of medicine today, where all the ailments that beset mankind make equal claims on the NHS for immediate treatment.

However, you have provided an outstanding example of the two golden rules of journalism - simplify and exaggarate. Bury the good news, that could be a third.

I do not expect you to have the guts to publish this letter or provide the courtesy of a reply. Who wants to spoil a good story!

John Hunt

Clacton GP

* Editor's note: We took Mrs Harvey's description she was left in "agony" on trust, supported by the fact she was referred to hospital immediately by her GP and the fact the couple were willing to spend their entire life savings to get her immediate treatment.

We also stand by our judgement that it is deplorable in 21st century Britain, when health funding is at its highest ever level, that a woman of 83 should be left waiting months for such an operation.