SIR – Regarding your story about ambulance crews, obviously this dumbing down of skills started a while ago and has now reached the movers and shakers, but I bet the orchestrator of this idea is still on a tidy wage packet. Why don t they just get rid

SIR - Regarding your story about ambulance crews, obviously this dumbing down of skills started a while ago and has now reached the movers and shakers, but I bet the orchestrator of this idea is still on a tidy wage packet.

Why don't they just get rid of the ambulances and while they are at it the nurses; then they can spend all the budget on justifying their positions.

Why is it the cost savings never come from the management side? How many people are employed under the admin banner rather than staff? I would like to see the ratio and how it compares to the private sector.

Maybe we should set up another admin department to find out!

I work in the engineering sector which dumbed-down apprenticeships about 15 years ago.

Now everyone has to spend half their time writing or reading method statements, because of the lack of competent personnel.

Train the people correctly in the first place and then you would have the confidence that they can do the work.

I can understand that savings need to be made, but why is it we only hear of the 'hands-on' positions that are sacrificed?

If the public had a choice I'm sure they would be quite happy to choose between a trained ambulance crew member or a faceless quango report analyser.

I know that is something that will never happen, unfortunately.

Brett Willis,

Woolmer Green.