First Shall Be First

When visiting the oncology department at the Royal Surrey Hospital you are given a slip of paper which allows you to park in the designated area.

It does state that a place in said car park is not guaranteed. Often there is a queue to get into the car park and sometimes a queue within that car park.

I know some people would suggest visiting the local Tesco and parking there. But all these cars are carrying an unwell person who may not manage the walk from the supermarket to the hospital.

As one of the first things done to you when reaching your destination within the building is the taking of blood pressure and temperature these two things may easily be affected by the problems of parking.

This has happened to me – high readings have been recorded and I have asked for time to unwind before they try once more. After a breather – literally – the results will be more satisfactory.

On my last visit we were lucky and there was a choice of slots dedicated to oncology patients. On our return to the car there were three cars queuing in the hope of getting a slot.

We felt sorry for the first car in the queue for it had gone past our parked car but the second in the queue was perfectly placed to take our space as soon as we vacated it.

We then witnessed a very English action: the two rear cars in the queue backed up so the first in the queue could also back up and take our slot.

I wonder how much longer those other two cars had to wait. I do hope Fate rewarded them for their kindness and that several cars left the park in a short space of time.

Robotic Surgeon

I do like to publicise good things happening in Woking, such as Nuffield Health Woking Hospital announcing that it has successfully performed 100 robot-assisted surgeries, using the Mako® robot.

The 100th surgery – a total knee replacement – took place on 20 November. Perhaps I should declare an interest for not only is theatre manager Kelly Coleman a life-long Woking resident, but a dear friend. So I was particularly interested in her robot.

The Mako® robot, manufactured by Stryker, is an innovative system which uses a robotic arm to remove damaged bone and cartilage and supports the precise positioning of a new hip or knee implant.

To me that sounds very Six Million Dollar Man – and in Woking! Consultants are also able to create a bespoke 3D model using the Mako® software based on a patient’s anatomy from an in-depth CT scan, resulting in a more accurate fitting for the patient.

This technology includes the potential to reduce pain for patients, as well as faster recovery times post-operation.

This achievement highlights the hospital’s commitment to supporting the national health system, and health of the nation, as well as those within the local area. Some 45% of the knee replacements completed at Woking Hospital have been NHS-funded procedures.

Kelly said: “My team and I are incredibly proud to celebrate this momentous achievement of performing 100 Mako robotic-assisted surgeries.

“This milestone underscores our commitment to offering patients the most advanced, minimally invasive surgical options available. With this cutting-edge technology, we are seeing patients recover faster and with less pain, and we're excited to continue advancing this technology to further improve outcomes.”

As one of the UK-wide independent healthcare providers with all hospitals rated "Good" or "Outstanding" by national regulators, Nuffield Health delivers exceptional standards of care for every patient – whether they come through NHS referrals, private medical insurers, or self-pay options. This reflects its dedication to quality, safety, and patient outcomes, driving clinical excellence in everything they do.

What a Waste!

After the fun comes the clean up. A street cleaner follows the Lord Mayor's Procession, behind the State Coach. That particular cleaner-upper will be removing what the horses have deposited, as well as more common litter.

Looking at the debris after a party perhaps we would like a similar cleaner-upper on hand. Especially after Christmas when blue and black bins are liable to overflow.

All that Christmassy wrapping paper! If you are like my frugal family, parcels will be carefully opened and as much of the paper as possible put aside for re-use next year.

The forced slowness of opening a parcel adds to the excitement as to what might be inside. Sometimes not much of the paper can be salvaged but in some cases various parts can be cut out for use in crafts – if you are a sufficiently crafty person.

If you scrunch the paper and it doesn't bounce back into shape, it is non-foil and may be recycled. But foil paper, and paper covered with sparkles is a no-no – not only can it not be recycled but it would be better if you didn't buy it to start with.

The same applies to Christmas cards – if they are sparkly they are bound for the landfill bin – unless you are one of those crafty people and cut them up to make your own cards for next year.

English households contributed an estimated 5.6 million tonnes of packaging waste last year, according to research backed by the Local Government Association (LGA), County Councils Network (CCN), and District Councils Network (DCN).

The research indicated that out of this total, 3.2 million tonnes went into recycling containers, 2.3 million tonnes were dumped into black bins, while 70,000 tonnes were incorrectly placed into food waste bins.

Check out Waste and Resources Action Programme for more information: WRAP, as it is known, is a charity which works to transform unsustainable systems and promote “circular living” and advises businesses and government as well as anyone worried about the amount of waste ending up in the wrong place.

Thinking of things being dumped in the wrong place, I am still hoping to find a home for blister packs which does not involve sending them by post – expensive! Or taking them to some out-of-town destination – also expensive.

It is not just wrapping paper, cans, and plastic bottles: small, apparently innocuous, things cause problems. Like chewing gum, which is the very devil to remove from shoes, clothing, and pavements, to cigarette butts, which refuse to rot down and can jam up the roadside drains down which many get washed.

And on the somewhat larger side, who has the strength – and vehicle – to take and dump a mattress or fridge on the roadside? Some of the rubbish is positively dangerous – we have seen pictures of a rubbish cart on fire because someone had put a battery in the bin.

It doesn't have to be a large battery – we have seen what e-cycle batteries can do – and discarded vapes can also cause fires on waste trucks.

Household recycling rates in England have plateaued at 45% since 2015. We are lucky in this area that we have just three bins to contend with – if we subscribe to the green bins; there is a possibility of having an extra bin and be asked to do more sorting. Will this lead to more dumping of rubbish somewhere not in a designated bin or tip?

Manufactures are encouraged to take back unwanted items, such as fridges, and often if you buy a new piece of equipment the retailer will take back your old one. And that applies to mattresses as well.

But penalties for non-compliance are just not strict enough. The idea of taking, and crushing, any vehicles found used in fly tipping is great. But not, I think, much used.

The fines should really mean something – and our council could certainly do with the cash.

Green waste dumped used to be considered OK as it would, surely, rot away. Yes, in a few year's time.

So in came the green bins, along with our black and blue ones. Certainly they save cramming garden waste into a builder's bag and then forcing it into the back of the car, and taking it to the tip, but now the council charges us £70 for that green bin and for it to be emptied once a fortnight.

I should point out that this item was written before Alex Galea's letter in last week's issue – and I agree with his comment on the price hoick for green bins!

I understand that the government does not compile national statistics on littering. Pity. It would give more publicity to this nasty habit.

We use seatbelts without a second thought, though originally it was seen as nanny state being too bossy.

Now if we learn of a road accident one of our first thoughts is as to whether the travellers were wearing their seat belts. We think twice about drinking and driving.

We don't smoke inside public buildings – remember how the beam from the projector in the cinema used to catch the rising smoke from all those cigarettes? So why can't we stop littering? We don't do it in our own homes.

Yes, I remember threatening my children to black binbag everything on their bedroom floors – clothes and toys alike. But it will take an awful lot of black binbags to sort out our countryside – for proof just join one of the many litter-picks in the area.

My daughters do not litter the countryside: I've even seen them retrace their steps to pick up an errant sweet paper – is that down to my threats when they were younger? Perhaps the government should be somewhat firmer and act on its threats.

Could the entire nation have just the one New Year's Resolution – don't dump it, bin it.

More Wasteful Words

A reader has drawn my attention to the BBC website on 17 November about new solar-powered rubbish bins being introduced across Surrey, starting with Reigate and Banstead Council.

He read it because he thought "Why solar-powered? Who needs that?"

But it turns out that these bins will automatically squash the contents (making more space) and will send a signal to the council when full (saving on the cost of emptying bins that are only half-full).

Apparently the bins will even talk to you! Could they be characters in Beckett's Endgame, the couple who live in dustbins?

One wonders what the bins will say, however. Presumably "Oh thanks, I've been lonely and depressed all day, waiting for someone to come along and use me..".

Or perhaps "Eugh! What was in that box? Couldn't you finish eating the contents first?"

Maybe "Ouch! Another hot cigarette stub? Haven't you stopped smoking yet?"

Or "Bin #12 to council – Come rescue me, Mrs Jones is approaching again and she drives me nuts, never stops talking to me endlessly about the weather, the traffic, her neighbours, her cat, her lumbago and God knows what else..."

Perhaps even "Hmmm, curious... feels like a bomb... please ask other pedestrians to stand well away while I press down on the bit sticking out of the top..."

I wish a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and healthy New Year to all readers of this page: thank you for past donations of items of interest and please continue with them.

Ann