He deserves a better NHS, money troubles, pension posse

Three-year-old Robbie Retfalvy is living proof there's a crisis in the National Health Service.

The little boy from Southwick was due to be operated on this week to straighten out his twisted feet and curved hands.

But, at the last moment, the operation at St George's Hospital in London was cancelled because another child needed emergency treatment. It happened on the same day Chancellor Gordon Brown was being praised for announcing an extra £2 billion for the NHS in his Budget.

For Robbie's sad and bitter parents, that money cannot be spent soon enough. They've already had the hard task of explaining to a young child why all the preparation needed for this vital operation was wasted.

Robbie wants to know why his hands and feet are not yet straight. The answer is the NHS has to be straightened out first. Even with another £2 billion in place, there will still be some cancelled operations and long waits for non-urgent surgery.

But the chances of a last-minute cancellation for a little boy in need should be greatly lessened.

Money troubles

The Government has a nasty little habit of promising reforms without providing the cash to carry them out.

A prime example of this is the worthwhile ambition of removing nearly all mixed wards in hospitals within the next two years.

It will cost Brighton Health Care NHS Trust almost £300,000 to do this and beds will be lost. No extra money has been provided and admissions are high. There is no way in which the trust, which is already £2 million in debt, can carry out the work in time.

Of course there is always Gordon Brown's NHS war-chest. But even £2 billion may not spread far enough for this work, badly needed to give patients privacy and dignity.

The pension posse

Widow Joan Clark will impersonate Channel 4 presenter Ali G on posters all over Brighton. Her eye-catching pose is to publicise a sheltered housing roadshow planned for May.

You might not think 75-year-old Joan had much in common with trendy Ali G. But she's young at heart. And as a retired lollipop lady, she already knows how to draw attention to herself for a good cause.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.