SIR– Your headline Hospital at full stretch (Tuesday, January 12) reminds me of the Care Quality Commission report rating the Worcester hospital as ‘Inadequate’, after their visit in December 2019.

Your ‘comment’ column at that time highlighted the main problem – the hospital is just too small. This prompted my suggestion – why not convert County Hall into part of the hospital?

The county council, with much reduced staff numbers, no longer needs a building of that size and many staff now work from home, while the premises offer several advantages –both underground and extensive overground parking, easy access for ambulances and  public transport, plus only a short walking distance from the main hospital.

County Hall is more or less empty at present, and it could be easily and cost-effectively converted for hospital use – conversion costs being obviously far less than building a new building.

The county council could easily be relocated to buildings elsewhere in Worcester, like the former Npower offices, junction 6 on the M5, or rented offices at County Buildings.

My suggestions were in March 2020 – well before the virus took hold. Since then, what has happened? What has been done? Nearly a year has passed. It would have been bad enough without the virus, but now!

David Withey

Malvern