MY wife and I have recently had occasions to receive medical attention from our doctors surgery in Greenyard, Waltham Abbey, and both St Margaret's Hospital, Epping, and Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow.

The care and attention we had from surgery, ambulance crew and doctors and nurses at both hospitals was faultless.

On one visit I was able to witness a full day's work in the accident and emergency department at Harlow stretcher and bed cases a separate unit from the walk-in accident and emergency section.

The very efficient, calm and cheerful way the medics went about their tasks, dealing, in some cases, with critically ill patients was, to me, a revelation.

The pressure, on my day there, did not ease, but there was never any sign of irritation or lack of compassion.

Calmness prevailed despite some difficult, very verbal, patients.

My admiration for all of these people in the NHS is unbounded and they deserve our wholehearted support in their extremely difficult, unpleasant and sometimes traumatic experiences.

I get very sad when reading and hearing of the whingers and carping critics of the NHS. They should try to understand the pressures it is under.

I remember the idealism of politicians and reformers that helped the forming and foundation of the NHS in 1948, and the optimism it engendered among the population and also the many crises it overcame.

After decades of underfunding and underinvestment its needs, this government belatedly is at least trying to get to grips with a very hard-pressed, understaffed, underfunded organisation.

Today it faces its greatest crisis.

We need, it seems, a reversal of roles. We, the public, and the government, have to treat the NHS as a critically-ill patient and nourish and care for it to survive.

The NHS is the greatest treasure of Britain, and that is something none of us should ever forget.

TED AYRES,|

Crooked Mile,|

Waltham Abbey|