The shortage of nurses could have dire consequences – just ask those of us who see it every day

Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk

Too many nurses find themselves pushed from pillar to post, trying to make sure patients are comfortable (iStock)

It’s worrying to hear that two-thirds of nurses feel that they are struggling to provide good care to patients who are dying as a result of staff shortages, as Marie Curie has warned today. Sadly, to those of us in the profession, this comes as no surprise.

Too many nurses find themselves pushed from pillar to post, trying to make sure patients are comfortable but unable to go the extra mile due to increasingly heavy workloads.

When it comes to specialist end-of-life care, allowing people the space to open up about their fears and wishes, and what they need support with, is essential. Without it, people living with cancer will not get the personalised care that allows them to live as fully as possible and ensures their end of life wishes are respected.

Difficulties in recruiting to the social-care workforce also mean that people with cancer who want and need personal care to support them to remain in their own home are not always able to get it. While the need for a fully funded plan for social care has never been more urgent, the long-promised green paper has been kicked into the long grass.

Nurses and people living with terminal illnesses across the country deserve action today. The government must make delivering a plan for our workforce, which realises the ambitions of the NHS long-term plan, an urgent priority.

Lucie Rudd, adviser, End of Life Care, Macmillan Cancer Support

Stop defending Campbell: he deserves what he gets

Former Labour MPs Charles Clarke and Bob Ainsworth are among those rushing to support Alastair Campbell following his expulsion from the Labour Party for openly admitting he voted Lib Dem in the recent European elections.

As someone who isn’t in the Labour Party I think Campbell’s expulsion was just.

Which serious political organisation would accept such open disloyalty?

Campbell had his day in power when he was Tony Blair's communications chief and his most notorious action in post was to “sex up” the dossier on Iraqi weapon capabilities so it matched the false claims of the US administration.

The dossier played a key role in facilitating the invasion of Iraq and the bloodshed that followed.

It is significant that as MPs both Charles Clarke and Bob Ainsworth voted for Blair’s war on Iraq.

Campbell facilitated western aggression against the people of Iraq which left, at minimum, 500,000 dead.

It is a disgrace that Campbell is at liberty to openly and continually undermine Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party.

Campbell should arguably be serving time as a war criminal. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Sasha Simic
London N16

I’m not surprised by the Brexit Party’s hypocrisy

Ann Widdecombe is, I believe, a churchgoer. You would think therefore that peace, cooperation and "love your neighbour as you would yourself" would be her message.

But the Brexit Party, of which is she now a member and MEP, wants the complete opposite.

Mind you, she is not alone: many politicians attend church and are greedy, selfish and, in some cases, warmongers.

Oh well, like with Ukip, I expect the Brexit Party will self-destruct.

Richard Grant
Hampshire

The lesson from the EU elections may be to support May’s deal

Ukip won 24 MEPS in the 2014 EU elections.

There are none now, but Farage’s Brexit Party has 29 seats, so not much of a change. The Remain parties secured 27 seats in total, while Labour took 10 and the Conservatives four.

However Remain parties have 40 per cent of the vote, and Farage 35 per cent.

I am left thinking the wisest thing is to compromise and support Theresa May’s deal

Rosanne Bostock
Oxford

The real issue with Uefa is its impact on climate change

I agree Uefa has dropped the ball over the Baku final and with the reasons given. But why no mention of an obvious further reason: the carbon footprint of this 90 minutes of football?

Uefa is not only lightweight on human rights (and seems to be uncaring on the travel costs to football fans) but also seemingly oblivious to the climate crisis, and has missed an open goal in showing some green credentials.

Paul Keeble
Address supplied

US judge’s view on birth control is beyond parody

So I was reading the article on Indiana abortion law and checked the date. Nope! It wasn’t April Fools. I read the same sentence about Justice Clarence Thomas several times. He accused those who use birth control of practising eugenics.

This implies one of four things; either that men have full knowledge of the DNA of each of their sperm and can control which one will fertilise the egg, or that women have full knowledge of the DNA of each of their eggs and can control which one will make the fallopian journey and get fertilised, or that both the aforementioned are true. Or else, Justice Thomas is absolutely bonkers. I mean, can you imagine his pillow talk, “No, no, not you, the sporty one with the gentle personality.”

The Supreme Court would be better served by Thomas the Tank Engine.

David Rose
Sutton Coldfield