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Why not just ditch IMH?

What I cannot understand about the problems encountered by the five surgeries who use the Manchester-based firm IMF to handle their appointments requests is why the surgeries do not just simply pull out of of this flawed scheme.

Why do they continue to use this company when clearly IMF cannot cope and are completely out of their depth. Why not just revert back to the old system where patients phone the surgery direct and book an appointment through the receptionist.

In the Adver dated February 4, the manager of Swindon Healthwatch said an unannounced observation at IMF call centre reported that only five staff out of a possible 16 were present taking calls.

Martin Diaper who runs IMF said this was due to staff sickness. More like this is the usual number of staff they have at all times ! That’s why patients spend hours on the phone just waiting for it to be answered. It would be interesting to find out just how much IMF are getting paid for this diabolical service they are trying to provide. They are probably trying to run this organisation with the minimum amount of staffing in order to maximise their profit.

Why pay for 16 call operators when they can wing it with five. It looks like they have been caught out at last and not before time. I’m just so thankful my surgery is not part of this fiasco.

B.Tomlin, Headlands Grove, Swindon

EU is to blame...

The letter by Gordon Sim (Feb 7) says he wants a public debate about why people voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

All he needs to do is read the shocking survey about the homeless problem published in the Advertiser on the same day as his letter. Homelessness is rising rapidly in Swindon and also all over the country. The homeless problem all started when we joined the EU in 1973. Before 1973 there was no homeless problem. This problem was gradually created during the 46 years of Britain’s membership of the EU.

Steve Halden, Beaufort Green, Swindon

Grossly insulting

Donald Tusk, President of Europe, has grossly insulted all of us who voted to leave the European Union.

He says he hopes more than half the population of the UK are going to Hell.

Then expects us to give the EU a favourable divorce settlement that keeps paying his enormous tax free salary for longer.

They seem to think we got it wrong as if in error, temporary mindlessness. But they could not be more wrong – we are leaving because we choose to be governed by people who know we can sack or behead them, not by men who say such things about his paymasters.

I say we should now leave at 11pm on 29th March 2019 with no deal at all, direct debits deleted and no more money paid at all.

Sue Doughty, Verey Close, Twyford