Scotland

[ScottishJohn]

What do people think of the proposal to abolish prescription charges?

Personally, I think that people have a responsibility to contribute directly to the cost of their treatment. The £6.50 prescription charge is very cheap in relation to the cost of modern drugs, but it serves to remind people that healthcare is not a free resource.
When my daughter needed treatment for an ear infection in Florida 8 years ago, it cost us over £80 in doctor's fees and pharmacy charges. An appointment with a BUPA physician can easily leave little change from £90.
The NHS is already a great deal - those of us who can afford it should not grudge paying a few pounds toward the cost of the service we receive.

I know there are some people with health problems and low incomes who struggle to meet these costs and it is right that they should be helped, but most people can afford to pay towards the cost of their medicines.

I agree - I think there are better ways to spend the money than to give everyone free prescriptions, however I do think that people with ongoing long term health problems like diabetes etc should continue to recieve free at source medicine, AND the list of people who qualify for such help needs to be widened - currently there are long term illnesses which are not covered don't ask me what they are! I heard about it on a radio programme ages ago. Anyway the list needs revisited!

 

[Buttermilk]

I agree - I think there are better ways to spend the money than to give everyone free prescriptions, however I do think that people with ongoing long term health problems like diabetes etc should continue to recieve free at source medicine, AND the list of people who qualify for such help needs to be widened - currently there are long term illnesses which are not covered don't ask me what they are! I heard about it on a radio programme ages ago. Anyway the list needs revisited!

I agree that all the chronically ill should get free prescriptions.

 

[Buttermilk]

.
Bumpity Bump

 

[Martin^^]

I was wondering how other people are going to be affected by the smoking legislation on March 26th.
I don't smoke, and agree with the ban, but my place of work seems to have gone over the top.
They are going to ban smoking all over the site (which is about half a square mile in area), even outdoors or in private cars parked onsite. Anyone wishing to smoke will have to walk/drive to the public road about 1/4 mile from the main gate. Even this is not an option for machine crews, who have to take all breaks in the machine-house.
This seems to me to be counter-productive, since it will inevitably lead to people finding places to smoke in secret - production staff work 12-hour shifts, which is a long time for most smokers to be without a puff.

 

[ScottishJohn]

I was wondering how other people are going to be affected by the smoking legislation on March 26th.
I don't smoke, and agree with the ban, but my place of work seems to have gone over the top.
They are going to ban smoking all over the site (which is about half a square mile in area), even outdoors or in private cars parked onsite. Anyone wishing to smoke will have to walk/drive to the public road about 1/4 mile from the main gate. Even this is not an option for machine crews, who have to take all breaks in the machine-house.
This seems to me to be counter-productive, since it will inevitably lead to people finding places to smoke in secret - production staff work 12-hour shifts, which is a long time for most smokers to be without a puff.

As an ex employee of the catering industry and a frequenter of licensed premises, and as an ex smoker, I am looking forward to the ban. Still, sound like some pretty difficult special circumstances at your work. I would hope that the management will do something to accomodate smokers in some way?

 

[Kehaar]

I was wondering how other people are going to be affected by the smoking legislation on March 26th.
I don't smoke, and agree with the ban, but my place of work seems to have gone over the top.
They are going to ban smoking all over the site (which is about half a square mile in area), even outdoors or in private cars parked onsite. Anyone wishing to smoke will have to walk/drive to the public road about 1/4 mile from the main gate. Even this is not an option for machine crews, who have to take all breaks in the machine-house.
This seems to me to be counter-productive, since it will inevitably lead to people finding places to smoke in secret - production staff work 12-hour shifts, which is a long time for most smokers to be without a puff.

The hospital I work at is doing the same, supposedly no smoking on it grounds and doing away with the smoking shelters. Yay! (although they've already removed the cycling shelter without any forewarning which, I must say, is a fantastic way to start a 12 hour shift. Screeching to a halt at 7.15 am and wondering what happened to the cycle shelter that was there two days ago)

Anyhoo, although I agree with the smoking ban I do think it'll be nigh on impossible to enforce. Patients (and staff for that matter) are not going to walk off hospital grounds, they'll just sit at the front door as usual...or hide in stairwells...or lock themselves in toilets.

 

[kaljay]

Just joined CF this past week, just wanted to say hello to all from scotland....

kaljay

 

[Kehaar]

Just joined CF this past week, just wanted to say hello to all from scotland....

kaljay

Welcome

 

[ScottishJohn]

Just joined CF this past week, just wanted to say hello to all from scotland....

kaljay

Hi!

 

[SteadyRock]

I am too! woooot

 

[Kilted Stranger]

Ive not been in here for ages... Hey Everyone! How's it going?

 

[nvrbnunloved]

Hi Kilted - long time no see indeed!

Things are waaaay too quiet in here - think everyone's melting.....

 

[theFijian]

Melting! I just had to get in the car after it had been sittingin the sun all morning...I almost didn't make it out alive! Air condition is one of mankind's finest inventions.

 

[Buttermilk]

It was just soooooo hot today and it is suposed to be hotter still tomorrow

 

[Kilted Stranger]

booo! i dislike the heat! You would have thought there was some secret Scottish Society who MADE it rain all the time... cant they just do that again?

 

[nvrbnunloved]

I'm melting away in the office Fan's just moving the warm air around, air con is a distant pipe dream We have been told to go home, but not very convincingly....

 

[Kilted Stranger]

hey - if my boss even joked about going home...

 

[nvrbnunloved]

Nae worries - took the hint and left

 

[Jer]

Had totally the opposite weather to most of the country yesterday, was at CLAN in St. Andrews for the day and it was foggy a lot of the day, and when it wasn't it was really low cloud. Totally rubbish! What an amazing day though apart from that.

 

[Kilted Stranger]

cool Were you there when Mike Pilivachi was speaking?