Last updated 09:37, Friday, 02 May 2008

With respect to the article regarding hundreds of kids still waiting for orthodontic treatment (The Cumberland News, April 25), I would like to praise the orthodontic department at the Cumberland Infirmary.

My daughter did wait about one year for an initial consultation then two years for treatment to commence, by which time she was 15.

She was eventually slotted in on an additional Monday evening slot, which staff now man to try to alleviate the backlog.

For us this has been excellent, as it means Shona does not miss school for appointments.

Staff must be tired by the end of a long Monday and I applaud them for putting in these long hours in response to the problem.

They are always cheerful and attentive. That said, it did irritate me when a friend’s son was seen immediately after his problem was recognised by his dentist because they knew someone who could get them in ahead of the waiting list.

This meant he was seen at age 12, but when this happens it holds the rest of us mere mortals up a little bit longer.

I get similarly annoyed when on a road with two or more lanes and one is closing ahead, some impatient souls choose to speed up in the emptying lane and nudge in at the last moment, thus causing a longer tail-back for the more obedient to endure.

I love it when trucks sit tight in the closing lane to ensure that these folk cannot achieve their selfish ends!

I don’t advise Cumbria Primary Care Trust to employ truck drivers to hold back those jumping the orthodontic queue but somebody should check that preferential treatment on the NHS is not permitted.

JOANNA COYLE
Low Row