We are a multicultural society – the NHS should accommodate all languages

I was absolutely astounded to read your article that the NHS is unable to send letters out in any language except English.

I have worked in many councils where people often don’t have good enough English skills. In those places, staff can book interpreters in pretty much any language and can have conversations over the phone, or interpreters can come out for a face-to-face visit. As well as that, letters can be sent out to people in any language.

I just find it unbelievable that this is not routinely available to people in the NHS.

Nicki Bartlett

Address supplied

While I am relieved that the inappropriate moving of children in care is receiving media attention, greater awareness should also be focussed on the serious issue of vulnerable children being handcuffed during transportation.

The charity Become use the phrase “Moved inappropriately” in their call to action, referring to the distance a child is moved away from their local area during placement. But action is also needed to change the way in which vulnerable children are being transported.

The Hope Instead of Handcuffs campaign has been fighting to ban the brutal practice of restraining children during transportation between care settings, and has seen considerable progress in Wales with the introduction of the recently revised Reducing Restrictive Practices Framework.

But England urgently needs to follow suit and take action to prohibit the harmful and unregulated practice of vulnerable children in care being handcuffed by private transportation providers. The government needs to introduce a register to record instances of handcuffing, as increased transparency and accountability is a vital step towards ending this practice altogether.

Emily Aklan

Chair, Hope Instead of Handcuffs

Recent commentators have noted that (given the UK’s appalling growth figures) we are the economic “sick man” of Europe, hurtling back to the 1970s.

While we can indeed appropriately boast this label, with the UK predicted to be one of the worst performing economies this year, it is rather an insult to the 1970s to describe ourselves as heading back to those days.

The 1970s were an economic golden age when compared with the economic mire we are currently in, with economic growth eclipsing the current situation. Our economic woes are set to worsen further as the EU and US pump trillions of pounds into green technologies.

The US is spending over £310bn on subsidies and tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, and the EU is pledging to looking at following suit. In contrast, the UK’s response to this has been derisory, and several British manufacturers are now considering investing in the US given the billions on offer to support electric vehicles and green energy companies.

The UK equivalent of an Inflation Reduction Act is desperately required, allowing the UK to compete with the US and the EU, failing which we will continue to fall even further behind as companies look to more appealing overseas investment opportunities.

Alex Orr

Edinburgh

Archie Mitchell’s recent article explains why this country is in such a mess. If the Treasury really believes that costs going up has not or should not have an effect on wages related to inflation, then it is another institution needing root and branch reform.

Consumers can absorb so much, but unless the cost of products drops, or the increases are quickly absorbed by other inflation, then wages will need to rise. Otherwise, low paid people cannot afford to live.

A lot of the cost increases affect basic living needs; not so much luxuries. So, lucky old executives on big salaries suffer no noticeable pain. No increases necessary. Profitable firms may be able to absorb the cost increases if it is not affecting their core costs.

Workers on low wages must have equivalent increases when such basic costs go up. Anything less is profiteering on the backs of our poorest people.

Michael Mann

Shrewsbury

Chris Philp and Suella Braverman have spent much airtime boasting of new record numbers of police. That suggests we have a record number of inexperienced recruits replacing those police the Tories cut.

A version of boom and bust, if you will, in reverse. But the big question is: why do we need more police than ever before? Don’t we really need more nurses and doctors?

Beryl Wall

London