VIEWPOINT FOR 7 FEBRUARY 2008
FROM DR RICHARD TAYLOR

I achieved the almost impossible last week by attending two meetings at the same time! 
In my secretary's absence I went to a meeting on mentoring without checking the venue. Unfortunately there were two meetings on mentoring at the same time. The one I went to first was on mentoring young people who were thinking of careers in politics. After I had informed them of the opportunities and satisfactions of being an Independent MP as there was no one present from Wyre Forest I realised I was at the wrong meeting and dashed to another likely venue. 
There I found the right gathering which was celebrating the mentoring and befriending of young people in education. Luckily I was able to meet my constituent from Bewdley and her friend from Mentor Link. I do need my new parliamentary assistant at all times to keep me in order.

I have been re-elected as Vice-Chair of the All Party Floods Group and we have planned meetings with the Secretary of State and with the Environment Agency to discuss the lessons learnt from recent floods. Later in the year we hope to have a meeting to discuss planning issues and the use of better building and paving materials and soak away construction that will help to keep surface water out of drains, sewers and culverts.

I attended a meeting organised by the Royal National Institute for the Blind about treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration, an important cause of blindness. Interim guidance has been given by NICE about the use of a drug for this condition but the final ruling that hopefully will make prescription mandatory is not expected until later this year. The RNIB had accurate information about which areas of the country are using the drug now before the final guidance appears. 
I regret Worcestershire is amongst the worst. 
I do have disagreements with our PCT about the use of new therapeutic agents and the decisions reached by their complex case panel. As the NHS is no longer in deficit, money should not now be a determinant for the provision of clinically indicated drugs. 

However I have sympathy with our PCT as, compared with some other parts of the country, our county is under funded so the availability of resources still has to be taken into account.

Our GPs are understandably angry about the Government's attempts to make them open for additional hours. 
The Government appears to have just discovered that the contract they negotiated with the GPs, stopped evening and weekend working and so they wish to change the contract. Surely a compromise could have been reached before we faced confrontation. 
Our GPs are working hard in their 50+ hour week now and something will have to go if they are to move even three hours to evenings or weekends. 
I have a meeting with some of our doctors soon because while the Government contend that patients want extended opening hours, the GPs believe this will impair their service to those, for example, with long term conditions who are benefiting from the current arrangements.

R.T.