I did write to Tony Lloyd MP about the NHS dentist crisis in Hulme, he wrote back saying:

… I would like to draw your attention the extra funds being invested for additional dental activity in Manchester..

Ok, has anyone seen or experienced this investment? Me neither. Maybe it’s Didsbury, Heaton or Hale Barns. I haven’t seen the like in Hulme. He didn’t say additional NHS dental activity though - written by a true politician!

Laura Roberts, Chief Executive of the Manchester Primary Care Trust, wrote to Tony Lloyd MP:

A patient can access a dentist anywhere in the country for treatment..

Could have fooled me! Which country is she talking about? This one? Obviously, she must be a private patient and not NHS. Even though the statement is true for those who can afford to go private and pay dental charges and it may be the PCT’s dream, but it’s only part of the true picture.

Well, Laura, this is not the experience of thousands living in Manchester who cannot get hold of a dentist on the NHS. When a dentist shuts the door in the face of the poor, we try other dentists only to be told, “Sorry, we’re not taking any more NHS patients now.” Then another shuts its door and the problem worsens. Does she realise the reality of how bad the situation is? It may look good on paper, but are dentists buying in to it?

BBC NEWS ITEM 1

BBC NEWS ITEM 2

These BBC reports are from as long ago as March & June of last year! Why wasn’t anything radically done then? Even after the BBC reports, the Government thinks its new reforms, which more dentists are refusing, still look workable - through rose coloured glasses, perhaps.

Though I do agree that a lot of greedy dentists were drilling & filling healthy teeth, just to get more money from the state. Yet, if they got struck off for their malpractice then that alone would be a deterrent.

I will contact Karen O’Brien, Manchester PCT, to discuss this fantasy of theirs; that we can access a dentist anywhere in the country; but, in reality, access on the NHS is denied in many practices or they are too full to take on any more NHS patients. Notice how Laura Roberts ommits those important 3 little letters, N.H.S., in her sentence ? Hmm, I wonder why?

Laura Roberts goes on to say:

As the PCT has had numerous letters relating to the issue of access we have now invested £1million for additional dental activity for ‘units of dental activity’ including sedations and domiciliary for Manchester. The process began at the end of November to identify “willing providers” and the additional capacity will be in the city for January 2008.

What does “additional capacity” mean? Does it mean they will build more dental surgeries that will refuse to treat the NHS patients? More “units of dental activity” - is that more ‘private patients only’ surgeries she’s talking about? She didn’t say, units of NHS dental activity.. sorry, meant to say.. units of “willing providers”.. to be politically PCT.

Access = Where patients are treated by dentists on the NHS.

Sedations = When they give you gas to put you to sleep or use local anaesthetic.

Domiciliary = A residence; a home. (or) To provide with often temporary lodging.

Willing Providers = Rare & close to extinction - dentists who treat NHS patients.. won’t be that long of a list in my experience.

Maybe, if I used the Freedom of Information Act, I can access how they have or are spending this £1million. More importantly, where?

Further more, Laura Roberts sent me a (out-dated) list of

…dental practices which are currently (emphisis mine) providing NHS dentistry within the Manchester area.

The top one on this list, Hulme Dental Surgery, has stopped treating NHS patients for quite a while now and Kathe Lock Access Centre will extract teeth only if it’s an emergency - no other NHS treatment otherwise. We could always go back to the old fashion way, “OK, dad! You can slam shut the door now!”

From 2006 to 2007 the PCT spent a mere £888k on improving dentists - NHS only I hope. Why now spend money on those refusing NHS patients? They, on their website manchesterpct.nhs.uk, say that they made:

..improvements to dental facilities to deliver higher decontamination standards. The schemes cover GDP premises as well as the Community Dental Service and their facilities within PCT properties.

I can just imagine… £888K to spring clean dental surgeries of those radioactive, glo-in-the-dark, dentist masks. Only joking! I’m sure it was money well spent on bleach.

So, what will £1million buy us in Manchester today? One city centre surgery, equiped with state-of-the-art dental gear, near Urban Splash perhaps? Where is this facility being built? If anybody knows.. just secretly tell me and I’ll let everybody else know after I’ve tried it, otherwise I may not get access to the £1m live-in sedating dentist.

This £1m dental surgery, will they be “willing providers”? - Oh, I can’t wait to ask that one!

How many Polish dentists could we fly over for £1m?

What is your experience of NHS dental treatment in Hulme or Manchester? Please leave your comment.

Disclaimer: The views expressed on this page are entirely those of myself and are not neccessarily the views of MCIN or ALLfm.

My email to Tony Lloyd MP is identical to the post directly underneath this one.

On 23/01/2008, Tony Lloyd MP wrote:

Dear Mr Ridyard,

Tony Lloyd MP has asked me to thank you for your email, which is currently
receiving attention.

Kind regards,

Liam

(my reply)

Please thank Tony Lloyd MP for me, I do appreciate the work that he does and the time he takes to take my cases up with the various Government departments. I’m sure that this Government would never want to breach people’s human rights and break international laws concerning humanitarian issues.

A good headline, don’t you think?

I received a letter this morning telling me that unless I attend an interview at Alexander Job Centre they will reduce my benefit… and we wonder why crime is on the increase. The Government by doing this forces good abiding citizens to resort to breaking the law because they take money back off the poor, sick and disabled. I, like many other Incap claimants, are not eligible to work that’s why we are on the benefit we are on. This is backed up by our own GP; but MP’s, who think they are more qualified than GP’s, say differently.

So, how shall we break the law to get our money then Mr Tony Lloyd? Shall we beg? Steal? Do we starve while the Government mispends millions?

It’s like the Government putting a gun against my head and saying, “Attend this interview or we will starve you to death!” That’s right, any reduction in my benefit will effect my health as I won’t be able to buy food!

Interesting. When I rang the JC+ at Alexander Park I told them that I had just come out of hospital after a hernia operation. Fiona Burnside then asked me to get a letter from my GP why I could not attend. Ridiculess, I’m not a bloody child! A letter to excuse me from some interview? I told her to contact the Greater Manchester Surgical Centre - she refused. It was a letter from my GP or else!

What? GP’s don’t do letters unless they charge for them. Doctors are very busy people and to take time away from treating patients is time that could save a life. Does this Government not understand the pressures GP’s are put under? Every minute is important to health care in Britain, without taking them away to write a letter to the JC+ because of some over zealous Secretary of the Department of Work & Pensions is trying to force sick people to work - whip us why not?

This Government has set up unworkable unhelpful stupid rules to oppress the poor even more. I’ve had enough stress and anxiety this week and now its the Job Centre’s own insensitive rigid rules.

LEAVE ME ALONE TO RECOVER!!!

My claim to fame!

Last week at the Palace Theatre, Oxford Street, Manchester, ITV 1 & 2’s “Britain’s Got Talent” were filiming auditions. Along with Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden & Piers Morgan were Ant & Dec and presenter Stephen Mulhern.

I was back stage on 2 of the days, Wednesday and Friday, covering first aid for the Red Cross, volunteering (was it 15 hours in total? Dunno, wasn’t looking at my watch.), when Stephen Mulhern grabbed my hand firmly and shook it. He was very sincere and very greatful for the work of the British Red Cross, saying, “You do a great job!”

ARTICLE IN BLACKPOOL GAZETTE

I was stunned slightly; as I don’t get many celebrities walking up to me, shake my hand firmly and say how much they appreciate me - not yet anyways. I’m still working on it! But, Stephen Mulhern did it to me. My claim to fame, hopefully his soon!

Even though production told me off for snapping a few pics, even though they told the audience they could, I thought it was a bit harsh seeing I didn’t get a penny for being there. All that said, I really enjoyed myself and it was thrilling being inches away from Ant & Dec, seeing Simon Cowell up close (shorter than I thought) and Stephen Mulhern shaking my hand.

When they show the series look out for a 19yr old belly dancer (not part of The Urban Gypsies) from Manchester University, who got through. She was very talented - had more of the XXX Factor I’d say!

No casualties. We did go on stage for a few minutes when the warm-up artist invited me and a colleague. It was good to get the stage experience.

Thanks to all the theatre staff who looked after me, the security guys, Tim (Stage Manager) and Dawn (Production Manager).

THE VIDEO THEY TRIED TO BAN!!!

BGT Video Stage View

Paul Summer

Do disabled people not have the same rights as those on other benefits to 100% Rent & Council Tax Benefit?

Ouch, hit a nerve.? Hope it hurts more than my tooth Mr Brown!

On Wednesday 9th January BBC North West Today & Tonight did a report about the 1 in 5 people in the NW who claim Incapacity Benefit and are stereotyped by the Government as lazy system fiddlers. They came and filmed me speaking about my view. Even though the report was good, I felt I needed to say more about my experiences and frustrations about the Government’s treatment of us.

Many of us, who have disabilities/injuries and claim Incap, are living productive lives and do voluntary work - unpaid work - when our disability/injury allows us, to keep charities running. In simple terms, we suffer this exploitation to help our communities and our country. We could stay at home and do nothing! Millions of people wouldn’t even dream of working for free - when did Gordon Brown do any volunteering this year? When did David Cameron help his local community unpaid and not for publicity or political gain? So, please do think about that.

I, myself, volunteer (when I can) for the British Red Cross, ALLFM and this website - I put back into my community when the pain is less noticable! Why doesn’t this Government reward us instead of punishing us? Why don’t they give us help with education, training, resourses, expenses and any needed equipment? They could reward us for attending educational courses and training. But, they rather punish us and make us 3rd class citizens and make us suffer even more.

All this I do so I can gain confidence, help towards my recovery, manage my disability and hopefully get back into full time work and contribute to society.

Stepping Stones may help those who are already trained, but I find they are of no help when needing training. That’s my finding. All this Government is interested in is keeping their figures down and they don’t care how. Statistics, are we? Human being, I am! This Government just wants to brag about how they got people off Incap into jobs, low paid minimum wage posts, and they, like David Cameron, just doesn’t care how they accomplish it. EDUCATION, RESOURSE, UNIVERSITY POSTS, REAL PROPER TRAINING, EQUIPMENT and FUNDING is the answer.

HOLD ON! Are you 18-24yrs..?? “No?” What a pitty, as the Government is throwing millions at the young; at the same time the older disabled people, who’ve contributed to this country, are put on the shelf to collect dust - well, left to sweep it up in a dead end job. Isn’t there “Age Descrimination” now? Government exempt again from that one?

Even Government training initiatives are not working. Another image for the press as the MP’s all smile. “Look at us, aren’t we great at forcing disabled people down another dead end street” Then the scheme ends, the Government takes our money away and we still don’t get the opportunities - no experience, certificate or college not recognised. Still, I’m not relying on this or any Government… I’ll make it wether or not!

This is my reply blog:

BBC NWT reply blog

Oops! I said, “restrict” instead of “un-restricted” when mentioning education and 15 hours.. sorry!

On Saturday 5th January, ex-cons and ex-criminals, came up from London, to tell the kids from Hulme about their lives and how God had changed them from sinner to saint.

What you don’t see are the kids - not to protect their identity but because of British law… stupid though it may be.

Tough Talk

Here at last is the Christmas Market part 2 video!

Christmas Market pt 2