Members of the public reading the “poor NHS performance” figures released recently could be forgiven for worrying. However I can say, as a recently retired NHS worker of 40 years, that these figures only relate to the artificial performance standards initiated and required by the government. They relate in no way to, nor do they recognise, the levels of care and expertise demonstrated by the thousands of NHS staff on a daily or even minute-by-minute basis.

A simple example of this is that if an ambulance answering a 999 call to a heart attack arrives within eight minutes, but the patient dies, the service has met the Government target and gets a tick in the box. However if the ambulance arrives in nine or ten minutes but the skills of the crew save the patient’s life the service has failed to meet the target and gets a cross in the box.

In other words the patient is not important – just the figures.

So please do not worry about meaningless targets. I have been an NHS worker and a patient and I know that the skills, care and expertise are readily available – at least until this stupid Government makes them all redundant!

D S Jones, High Street, Pattingham.