SIR – If I were a hardworking, caring consultant, doctor, nurse or orderly in our local Worcestershire hospitals, I think I would just about despair at my management team about now.

I refer to John Burbeck (non-executive trust director) and his comments in the story ‘Community to blame on treatment times failure’ (Worcester News, December 22).

To summarise, he was saying that the trust management team is trying its hardest, but is being let down by nursing home carers, staff in local smaller hospitals, and, of course, you and me because we are not caring for ourselves well enough.

Why didn’t we realise? It’s nothing to do with the plethora of managers, directors, and chairmen at all – it’s our fault.

And presumably Mr Burbeck is saying it is just us in Worcester who are time-wasters and not looking after ourselves properly.

On that basis, those trusts who can meet the targets must have more communityspirited, conscientious citizens living there, mustn’t they, Mr Burbeck? Thanks for the faith.

The trust’s plan to meet targets now becomes clear – everyone should administer to themselves and their loved ones at home, and stop messing up their statistics.

I feel sorry for dedicated clinical staff – their reputations seem to be being sullied by managers looking for others to blame, rather than shouldering the responsibility that many of them are paid to do.

RICHARD FARRELL-ADAMS
Worcester