I WAS very disappointed with the amount of space given to the general and personal criticism of the Acute Hospitals NHS Trust in last Friday's paper (Evening News, November 3).

If a week is a long time in politics, then a year is a lifetime in the present fast-moving Health Service. Mr Hywel Williams' comments reflect his experience in a different era.

Centres of Excellence are being developed as the only way to provide the intricate and complex medical care that is available to patients today - care that the people of Worcestershire are surely as entitled to as people in the rest of the UK.

This is a national policy and not something dreamt up for political or financial reasons by our Trust management.

I can honestly say that during my 30 years of experience in the NHS, I have never known such dynamic efforts being put into ensuring that these necessary changes work for the benefit of patients.

In my professional capacity I have personal experience of behind-the-scenes activity investigated by Harold Musgrove in particular.

My response to that letter, and to anyone in the county who is interested in what is happening at present, is that Trust Board Meetings are open to the public. So go along occasionally and listen to what is being said and done.

Finally, the issue of present and future bed numbers seems to be a matter of interpretation and is only one part of a much larger and complex issue. For example, nurse numbers, length of stay, Social Services co-operation and so on.

However, is it not significant that 60 or 70 patients were found accommodation at very short notice when the Castle Street site had to be evacuated (extremely efficiently) during the floods? This does not give me the impression of a hospital without the capability of coping with a winter health crisis.

So come on Evening News - support the Trust management - your views helps to form people's opinions. Concentrate on the good news!

MRS GLEN GREEN,

Chairman of Worcester District Community Health Council.

Worcester.