For a long time, Southend Hospital has been suffering from a chronic shortage of bed space.

So much so that at considerable extra cost to hospital funds, some patients who are not fully ready to be discharged, are often transferred under hospital supervision, to care homes in order to free up bed space in the hospital.

It is in this climate of a chronic shortage of beds, that Southend Hospital’s management board has announced a decision has been made to close even more wards in the hospital.

The director of operations justifies this course of action by saying: “By rationalising our surgical services, the hospital trust is planning to close a ward while still ensuring patient safety and care is maintained through greater support in the community”.

Does he think patients are going to believe the management jargon he uses will solve anything other than to save management costs, so as to divert funds elsewhere?

Has Southend Hospital management board lost its reason for being in existence?

Is it completely out of touch with its foremost priority, which is to provide the best possible medical care for its patients?

It would be interesting if patients were given the opportunity to have a referendum on: (a): Whether they would prefer senior executives in the NHS to be paid more than the Prime Minister; £880,000 to be spent on management consultancy fees in the last year; £1million to be spent on extra agency staff in A&E over a six-month period and a further £1million to be spent on a makeover for the main reception area, which will include a more expensive commercial catering company to replace the excellent service provided in the past by the WRVS.

Or (b): The money to be spent on providing more bed space to reduce patient waiting lists and employing extra permanent staff to improve medical care for patients.

I wonder which way the director of operations would vote in this referendum?

Colin Riley
Elizabeth Close
Hawkwell

...Southend Hospital is to axe a ward (Jan 6), yet another broken promise by the coalition Government which promised to protect the NHS. It is not.

Before long, there will once again be long waiting lists for vital operations, just as it was under the last Conservative government.

It is a disgrace that within six months the Government has broken so many election promises. I don’t think I can trust any political party any more.

As a Iife-long Conservative, I will be voting Independent in future. I refuse to support any political party, they are all the same.

S Read
Kensington Road
Southend