SIR,

The ambulance problem has been known about for a long time and unfortunately only surfaces when a tragedy happens, as highlighted in last week's Beacon.

When we in a local practice were fundholding in the 1990s we tried to tackle the problem but were faced with a brick wall from central Welsh government and little enthusiasm from the Ambulance Trust to 'rock the boat'.

It is a disgraceful misuse (and deadly for patients) of resources and could be solved with energetic political and administrative action.

I ask readers to imagine how it must feel being kept waiting 81 minutes in the back of an ambulance, while worried and presumably unwell, only feet from the hospital door.

A typical emergency ambulance pick up invloves at least half an hour at the patients house 'stabilising the situation', a half hour drive to Abergavenny, an average 81 minutes awaiting transfer and the crew then need a further half hour to return to Monmouth – a total of nearly three hours for one transfer.

This means that in an eight hour shift an ambulance and skilled crew, allowing for rest breaks, can probably only undertake two transfers to hospital.

This level of productivity is dreadful and should be made illegal especally as the biggest problem is the ambulance sitting with patient outside the hospital.

On the same page you reported the closure of minor injuries units at smaller peripheral hospitals; this is greatly to be regretted and inevitably will result in more emergency calls.

A sad conjunction of reports and how one wishes people would write to the Health Trust with vigorous and justified complaint.

Dr Hubert J Messing

(Recently retired GP and one time Health Board member)