LETTER : How nurses used to serve lunch

Sir: Both the Stoke Mandeville Trust and the Aylesbury Vale Community Health Council were surprised to read your report of concerns on the part of the CHC for patients at the National Spinal Injuries Centre having to wait for their meals because of staff shortages.

The CHC had previously expressed concern that patients had been obliged to wait for their meals because of staff recruitment problems, although the choice of food was good and at no time had patients not been given their meals or been left to starve. The inference in your article was therefore unwarranted.

Mrs GILLIAN MISCAMPBELL

Chairman, Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS Trust

Mrs EILEEN NURSE

Chairman, Aylesbury Vale Community Health Council

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire