SIR – May I express a huge thank you to the staff at the QE2 Hospital. On Friday January 17 I had the misfortune to have to ring 999 at 2am because my son Alfie was having severe chest pains. The ambulance arrived in minutes, my son was treated in the

SIR - May I express a huge thank you to the staff at the QE2 Hospital.

On Friday January 17 I had the misfortune to have to ring 999 at 2am because my son Alfie was having severe chest pains. The ambulance arrived in minutes, my son was treated in the house and then in the ambulance.

After arriving at A&E he was transfered to the Coronary Care Unit where he was taken care of until his discharge on January 22.

The nurses at the QE2 are very hard working and caring and I for one would be very sorry to see this hospital go, especially the A&E. Goodness knows the difference it would have made if my son had to go the extra 15 minutes to Lister.

Caroline Powell, Blythway, WGC.

Sir - Mr Quinn (East and North Herts NHS Trust) asserts (letters January 21) that congestion on the A1 will not lead to patient deaths when the nearest A & E service to Welwyn/Hatfield is at the Lister instead of the QE2.

Surely it is perverse to imply that for Welwyn and Hatfield residents, the chances of survival from heart attack or stroke will not be reduced by delay in reaching an appropriately equipped and staffed A & E unit?

Is there good evidence showing that such cases can be treated with equal success when held in an ambulance for a substantial time? If so, couldn't Mr Quinn be more forthcoming?

Where are the necessary vehicles and medical teams to be located to enable urgent Welwyn/Hatfield cases to be transported to the Lister? And given ever present financial constraints, what confidence can we have that they will all be in place before A & E at the QE2 is closed?

WCF Butler, via email.

SIR - With respect to Mr James Quinn's letter in last week's wht, I am afraid he missed the point I was trying to make, which was how do you get to Lister A&E between 5pm and 6pm when the QE2 A&E closes, the northbound A1M if it is blocked north of Junction 6, bearing in mind that other routes are heavily congested?

That is the point I was trying to make. That is my only concern, I agree certain services should be centralised at Lister.

Graeme Herrington, Chelwood Avenue, Hatfield.