I WANTED to thank the staff at Colchester General Hospital for the care they gave to my late grandmother during the last two weeks of her life.

My “nan”, Clarice Garland of Dovercourt, was admitted two weeks ago with breathing difficulties and low oxygen levels.

Although there was a substantial wait of more than a couple of hours to find her a bed initially, once she was given a bed in the emergency assessment unit, then later in the Layer Marney ward, she spoke only about how comfortable she was, and how the staff had been wonderful towards her.

Sadly my nan’s condition was past the point of return, and the combination of conditions from which she was suffering meant we lost her on Wednesday evening.

It is no secret Colchester hospital is under massive strain, and the staff are very much overworked, but I’d like to praise the nurses and doctors who cared for my grandmother.

On the last morning she was able to communicate well with me. She said: “The staff have been wonderful, and very kind - I’ve had a lovely time here.”

She praised the food, although she was too poorly to eat a lot of the time.

My nan was a lovely lady, and I’m proud to say her bedside was never unattended.

On numerous occasions, our visitor numbers increased well above the preferred two guests per patient, but the staff were always polite and understanding.

To say the staff treated my family and I with respect and empathy is an understatement.

During my grandmother’s last few days, there were many occasions where nurses, tired themselves after their long shifts, would offer a cuddle, a tissue, and their condolences to my family, and this really does go a long way.

I have absolutely no doubt standards at Colchester hospital are lower than where they should be, and most importantly, where staff would like them to be, and there were occasions where this was evident, but resources understandably prevent the hardworking teams delivering the “ideal”.

But, that said, I take comfort in the fact that my nan was comfortable, warm, and treated with dignity and respect until the moment she left us, and for that, I’ll be eternally grateful.

A big thank you to my nan’s friends and family who travelled so far to visit her, and made her last weeks so much more bearable than they could have been.

Thanks also, of course, to the doctors and nurses once more for enabling us to see her outside of visiting hours once it was clear she wouldn’t be coming home.

We cannot place a value on those extra hours and minutes we were able to enjoy, and neither of course could she.

Lisa Barwood Colchester

  • We must take more responsibility

I REFER to Cllr Phil Barlow’s letter regarding funding of the NHS and believe he misses the point.

The solution to the NHS’s problems, he suggests, is the age old Labour solution of throwing more money at the problem without resolving some of the underlying problems.

Yes more funding is most likely required but we cannot afford the increases in NHS/social care costs unless we all pay more towards it.

The solution however, is not that simple.

Successive Governments have undertaken needless reorganisations of the NHS and Jeremy Hunt has been an unmitigated disaster as health secretary by destroying the moral of NHS staff, particularly doctors.

The problems are no doubt complex but why do people still turn up at A&E with issues that are neither an accident or an emergency?

Why are one in five children entering primary school overweight/obese with this rising to one in three when they leave primary school?

Why have adult obesity and the dramatic rise in diabetes become a major costs to the NHS?

The answer to me is that we, as nation generally, do not take responsibility for our own and our children’s health.

If people cannot be bothered to look after their own health why should the rest of the population be bothered to look after them?

A harsh question, and there will be exceptions, but as a population we all need to do our bit to reduce the costs and challenges to the NHS.

I am not convinced the Essex Success regime is the right solution but I am convinced social care requires investment as we are living longer, we desperately need more doctors/GPs which successive Governments have failed to recruit until it is too late and we need a long term plan for the NHS, agreed by all, and without politicians screwing it up.

John Wood The Avenue, Witham

  • Hospital experience simply first class

We have heard in the news constantly about the problems with Colchester General Hospital.

I had to go to Colchester hospital on Monday, February 13 for a CT scan.

I cannot express how good they were, from the appointment team to the radiographers.

I had to have a blood test before the appointment and because I had the test done in Braintree and the blood had to go to Broomfield, thanks to Pippa and her male colleague, they chased it up and got it ready for when I went for my appointment.

First class service all round.

Susan Hughes Braintree

  • Water from a well and a four-mile walk to school

HAVING read Andrew Phillips’s article (Weekly water in a bucket, the lavender cart waste and thunderboxes) I would like to tell you about my days of no water or no electric.

There were 12 of us in my family, living in a two bedroom thatched farm cottage out in the sticks in Wiston.

We used to pay 2/6 pence a week rent. A lot of money in those days. We got our water from a well at the farm, about five minutes walk with two buckets, until it dried up.

Then we had to walk four miles to a spring near the old pub, The Fox, with two buckets a day. We were only kids but we had to do it.

Our toilet was about four minutes walk down a path. Not nice when it rained or was dark. My father grew some very good veg. I used to go with him on a Saturday, picking up stones off the land.

The oil was brought around by Mr Hatter from Nayland. We used to have about five pints in a can every week.

We used newspaper, cut into squares and hung on a nail, for toilet paper.

Bath night was on a Friday - six boys and four girls in a tin bath.

We walked to school in Leavenheath, about four miles away, across fields.

My mother a wooden hut for my bother and me to sleep in, but in the end we were given a council house further down the road, although had no water supply.

When I reached the age of 18 I joined the RAF.

After a few weeks my papers came through to report to RAF Cardington in Bedfordshire.

I had never been on a train before but everything worked out okay.

I met some nice blokes and did six years service (1941-46) and enjoyed every minute.

D Woodgate Hickory Avenue, Colchester