I READ with interest Debbie Fleming’s eulogy in the Echo concerning the proposed hospital plans.

Like many others I await the reality with bated breath, justified I fear by my actual experience recently.

I arrived at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital unit to give a blood sample at 8.15, and eventually left – job done – at 09.45. At least it gave me plenty of time to digest Ms Fleming’s verbosity in the letters page of your paper.

Previously I would have provided this blood sample at Christchurch Hospital, which I have always found to be more efficient than RBH, and with significantly better parking.

Not so now – because the “design plan“ so enthusiastically endorsed at length by Debbie Fleming in Letters to the Echo had decided to close down the Christchurch facilities without providing any adequate alternatives. Hence it required me and 50 or so others to wait an hour and a half to complete this simple job.

If this is to be typical of her performance in expanding/changing the major units at both Poole and Bournemouth, then may I suggest we should plan for a very rough time. It will, sadly, be inevitable.

It was almost amusing to read the notice on the wall explaining the reason for the delays. Apparently the Christchurch facility was closed on the assumption in “the plan” that extra facilities would be provided at local surgeries.

The closure went ahead, but the surgery facility expansion, it appears, is for another day!

Clearly “the plan” is already failing to achieve the aspirations of the trust managements concerned.

Most surprising was the honesty of the notice itself.

It did end up with a conciliatory request – “ Please bear with us".

Personally I wouldn’t; rather I would be banging a few heads together and start managing in an efficient, professional manner if they know how.

ALAN COLDICOTT

Clowes Avenue, Bournemouth