Letters: Employers can play their part in helping MS sufferers

WORLD MS Day, today, now in its second year, is focusing this year on the issue of employment.

The majority of people diagnosed with MS are aged between 20 and 40, a young age when there is a lot to live for. This diagnosis will inevitably cause alarm but there is a lot of information, guidance and support available to help people continue living life to the full and building successful careers.

I help run a centre in Edinburgh which provides hyperbaric oxygen treatment, as well as physiotherapy and alternative therapies supporting around 250 people.

The aim is to encourage MS patients to help one other by talking to people who know what they are going through, as well as getting professional help to improve their quality of life, and that of their families.

Employers can also play a role in supporting staff MS sufferers. World MS Day is a great way to raise awareness of the condition and the role employment has to play.

Gordon MacRae, director, MS Therapy Centre Lothian, Bonnington Road, Edinburgh

Campers leave site in real mess

HAVING spent a lovely day walking in the Pentland Hills up by the reservoirs on Sunday, I was astounded to come across rangers clearing up a mess left by "campers" who had abandoned their site in the early hours of the morning, leaving it covered in plastic bags, paper, bottles of beer, wine and everything else you could imagine.

To my disbelief the rangers told me that there are sometimes underage drinkers, and in addition to rubbish left behind, they had also abandoned their two tents because they are so cheap to buy.

I reckon the rangers took the best part of an hour to clear the site. They did a tremendous job, however, it is disappointing to see people who clearly don't have any consideration for the environment.

Scott Chambers, Edinburgh

NHS cuts not at expense of care

WE WRITE in response to your article "Fury at plans to axe 333 Lothian nurses" (News, 20 May).

NHS Lothian has never lied nor tried to cover up the challenges that we are facing in relation to budget restraints. We remain absolutely committed to maintain and indeed improve the quality of our clinical services. No posts will be removed that have an adverse effect on patient care. Our focus will be to improve patient care through different ways of working that increase our productivity and efficiency while continuing to deliver high standards of care.

For example, reducing our carbon footprint and our energy bills has the potential alone to save 600,000 a year.

We have also been successful in reducing sickness absence and this will continue. A further 1 per cent reduction in sickness absence rates would be equivalent to saving 180 whole- time staff, with a saving of 6.2 million.

We plan to reduce our workforce by 730 posts this year. There will be no compulsory redundancies. With a staff of almost 29,000, our nursing workforce is around half of that. Yes, there will be reductions in the number of nurses we employ but not at the expense of quality clinical services.

Eddie Egan, employee director; Charles Winstanley, chairman, Lothian NHS

City figures have missed the boat

I WRITE to put the record straight regarding your piece "Kiss from a captain on the quayside" reporting on the visit to Ocean Terminal in Leith from the cruise liner Prince Albert II (News, 22 May).

You state that this visit celebrated the opening of the liner season: I would like to point out that already this year three cruise liners have visited the Forth Estuary, calling here at Queensferry on 9, 11 and 12 May.

It is unfortunate that the national and city figures who turned out at Ocean Terminal last Friday did not see fit to recognise the first Edinburgh liner visit of the year by turning out here at Queensferry on 9 May to welcome the MSC Orchestra.

David M Steel, Springfield Terrace, South Queensferry