dazza333

Sounds a bit like your leader Bob Matthews canvassing trick, knocking on doors and allegedly telling voters that I've been struck off as a nurse and that Im banned from all National Trust property......He, allegedly, ran a proper smear campaign against myself and IOC. However, I don't go down the route of ad hominem and as such my dignity is intact.

Is that fair when many of them were voted in "because I knew the name" rather than what they stand for or their knowledge base or even what they can do for their community?, I've come across this alot, its amazed me who got in and who got dumped out!

Well Glenda I'm sure that's up to him how he conducts himself as the elected councillor. I'm afraid you and I have no say in that and must sit on our hands.

Glenda, with respect, I'm sure Chris Chappell "shouldn't be taking advice from an unelected person"...your words not mine, as such and as the elected councillor, unlike yourself, I'd suggest you let him take his own council and advice as he sees fit.

Well Glenda Vaughan-Powell, how shockingly small minded of you to have attacked Chris Chappell in this manner. Suggesting that Chris is wrong to take advice from non-elected persons is a statement that stinks of snobbery and ignorance. No wonder you were voted out. As a current senior health care professional and visiting university lecturer I take good advice from where ever I can find current relevant, evidence based material, not from 'elected councillors'. I don't know Chris but Id much sooner have an elected councillor who asks for good advice than one who makes it up as they go along. Bravo Chris Chappell.

Hiya Chris, good to see you're on the health scrutiny committee. Inbox me if you need assistance. Certainly don't mind open debate and questions on here either though because there appears to be a myriad of sharp, analytical minds prevalent.

If the NHS is privatised by stealth many will be left behind and that will be a tragedy. That said there may come a time when difficult decisions will have to be made and your right it's not just agency staff... no it will be the pension bill that will ultimately cripple it. I agree with what you're saying Greenknight but please allow me to play Devils Advocate. Why would privatisation be such a bad thing? At least we would have transparency and see fewer Stafford's or Morecombe Bays because as non Government institutions surely there would be greater transparency rather than cover ups and fudging of figures. And the Government would be more inclined to investigate problem hospitals as they have no financial interest in it. I do think that we are being privatised by stealth slowly but surely though. Is it Hinchinbrook NHS Trust that is or was run by Jesse Norman's alleged friends at Circle?

Yep Adrian, your not wrong...cut cut cuts galore, lots of higher earning job posts disappearing fast replaced by lots of basic rate jobs. Poverty galore whilst the well off thrive.

I've seen it all before and can write the script; ill informed Herefordshire Councillors will listen to rumour that agency nurses should be stopped due to expense - Richard Bekken stops agency spending - hospital becomes dangerous (or more so than now)- Bekken hits panic button and spends loads on agency nurses.....cyclical cobblers

*per

As for overseas nurses, the Philippines purposely have THE most Nursing Schools of and country pet population because the exported trained nurses bring back/send back valuable wealth into the Philippines. They have a production line of nurses ready to export.

We are still suffering from the fallout from Labours' 1997 Government with the extremely expensive PFI hospitals which does not allow enough funding to staff them adequately, neither were we adequately prepared for the 'Aging Population' to become ill and infirm. Herefordshire boasts 1 in 3 persons of pensionable age, these older persons usually have complex healthcare needs at some point but what did we do? Build a smaller hospital! How very clever and informed.

Yes we are aware of this as students Greenknight but we still need to know the facts and with agency nurses they are generally the better and sometimes if not mostly the cheaper option for NHS Trusts and Private facilities alike; Use only when needed ie, winter pressures, no pension to pay, no training to fund, no holiday or sick pay to pay etc etc. A flexible workforce is invaluable for an ever shifting healthcare environment.

Furthermore, please identify me one councillor with any up to date healthcare experience within our council to be able to make informed decisions?

That fact that we are spending millions in rent and interest repayments to private financiers of our PFI hospitals is where you should be looking for solutions.

I don't hear many people griping and moaning about agency civil servant or agency housing officers etc of which there are many. I think picking on agency nurses is an easy cop out.

Nurses are leaving the NHS in droves to go onto agencies because of the constant pressure they are under due to lack of staff and more and more complex patient care. Don't forget that a nurse spends 3 years at uni getting qualified to earn £10.96 per hour. That is not the salary of a professional and is barely enough to live on especially in Herefordshire with high rentals and expensive properties. Do you blame nurses for wanting to earn a reasonable living?

I concur Jimbo, I think Mikefitz will be a great acquisition for IOC.

Why do you not think that the Independents couldn't become the strongest opposition to the Torys? Even at his age Matthews is still probably the strongest leader in town. Why are all the Independents on here suddenly, post election, offering all the support possible to IOC? To make yourselves look like the good guys? If you were all the intellectual, broad thinking, sharp politicians you all think you are you would have thought about 'vote splitting' against the Torys long before a looming election. Get real. Rather than you all offering IOC support either jump ship and join IOC or work on building the Independents back up, you've got some strong members in the team.

Roger, simple request. Go and ask the people of Herefordshire why they voted for the PERSON they voted for in the LOCAL election, not the Nationals. I know exactly what the answers will be; "I recognised the name" or "She was the only one who knocked on my door" etc..apathetic, cynical, docile answers which reflects the current nature of Herefordshire's voters in the local elections and to be fair I'm not surprised when I see replies like the ones you put to my post which miss the point completely.....that's what the Herefordshire electorate are up against. No wonder it was one tick for Tory in the Nationals closely followed by another quick tick for Tories in the Locals....what choice did we offer them?

Dear me, please stop, all of you. The Torys got in because they are a well oiled machine, nothing more, nothing less. Not liars, not cheats etc, the apathetic voters of Herefordshire put them there, no one else. Herefordians don't care, they're not interested in why they vote for someone, its simply name recognition...very basic and simple. I am an IOC activist but until they stop appearing like the Green Party of the 1990s and writing manifesto's that look like they've been written by Friends of the Earth then they'll get nowhere. In times of austerity people are interested in real issues that affect their earnings and heating and food on the table, not flood barriers and relief roads and all that crap we talk about when there's nothing else in the news..no! Voters, me included need to be attracted, distracted, disillusioned over an issue to whet their appetite but what did IOC give them?.....Bring back the bloody hopper service!!! Who gives a toss?? That's not a real issue when people are shopping at food banks etc....no wonder the Torys landslid the County Elections...there was no real opposition in it's current form.

Bobby titles this post as "THE UNFORGIVABLE STUPIDITY OF ITS OUR COUNTY"......I will personally give a months salary to anyone who can come up with a more apt, truthful or stoically honest statement than that!

Anthony, to me, was obvious by his absence. He lives in Breinton and is a key member on Breinton PC. Anthony was 'buddied' with me in the Credenhill ward Which incorporates Breinton and as such one would have thought his influence would have been vital in taking this ward, not for me but for IOC...but no, I neither saw him near a doorstep, nor did I have any calls, texts, messages of support from him or any other seniors. And whereby you point out about about "a key vote on election strategy" well I would love to have been a fly on the wall ay that one. Don't forget, I was approached by IOC to stand within 5 weeks of the election date with the promise of massive support, I couldn't knock a door until my nomination papers were approved which left me three weeks..THREE WEEKS..to take a seat from Bob Matthews the Leader of the Independents who's had the seat for 30 years. A little help would have been appreciated. Amanda I wad not the only candidate in this situation either; Rob Ruck, James Stokes etc good men who have been let down and left disgruntled.