In November 2004 my husband suffered a stroke, he was at first treated at The Royal Hospital then transferred to the Community Hospital Evesham, and is now at home after spending six months in the Willows Ward where he received excellent treatment.

He is now having after care treatment once a week at Evesham and will shortly be starting some speech therapy at home, I can understand Mike Ridley's thinking patients want to be at home as soon as possible but they do need the extensive treatment in the early stages and what better place than the local community hospital where the atmosphere is more relaxed there is just no comparison in the two hospitals, as for transferring these facilities to Kidderminster just can't be right.

The success of the stroke unit at Evesham is known throughout the medical profession how can it even be considered closing these wards, the money spent transferring to other hospitals could well be spent in giving the staff more facilities to work with. It has been stated a new hospital is being considered and could be ready in 2009, so why not use this money to keep the excellent staff where they are let them carry on doing the excellent job they do and stop all of the worry these caring and dedicated people must be experiencing.

Let us hope sanity will prevail.

DENNIS AND EDNA SPENCER, Owletts Lane, Wick.