I hope that most of the proposed cuts of a large number of staff at Lister Hospital will not come from the efficient, hardworking and cheerful frontline staff – nurses, cleaners, porters and, of course, consultants. My sudden stay over new year opened my

I hope that most of the proposed cuts of a large number of staff at Lister Hospital will not come from the efficient, hardworking and cheerful frontline staff - nurses, cleaners, porters and, of course, consultants.

My sudden stay over new year opened my eyes to the enormous strain the staff were put under coping with an enormous number of patients, and yet they remained cheerful and efficient. My experience, too, this year of the Forster Suite through undergoing a course of chemotherapy treatment, has left me with the highest regard for the staff.

I fear, however, that there will be very little cutting of the enormous amount of paperwork generated by an ever-growing bureaucracy in the National Health Service. Cutting secretaries, however, and farming out letter writing overseas is crazy. Don't people know that secretaries do more than simply type letters. The amount of help I personally received from secretaries over a series of tests I had to undergo was invaluable as I was, until recently, unfamiliar with the internal workings of a hospital and medical matters.

May I take this opportunity of publicly thanking the staff and my consultant at the Forster Suite for steering me through my treatment which, I am happy to report, has been a huge success.

DOROTHY STAINFORTH, Park Lane, Knebworth