I WOULD just like to express my utter gratitude to both the two ambulance crews from SWAST (led by Rachel and Steve) and the crew of Redhill from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service (sorry guys the morphine had kicked in by then and names have escaped me).

But thank you heroes who extricated my 6'5" frame through my house, over/through scaffolding, up/down boggy grass and awkward turns etc who came to my assistance at my home Monday lunchtime after (living with a serious spinal disability already) the hand rail to my stairs broke away from the wall in my council house and I fell from top to bottom, leaving me paralysed (for 20 hours at time of writing) from the waist down to my toes in both legs.

I am now in the outstanding majors unit in A&E in our beloved Poole Hospital awaiting urgent transfer to the Wessex Neurological Unit in Southampton University Hospital where 'my' neurosurgeon and team are based, in the hope they can find a way out of what is, at time of writing, over 20 hours of paralysis. (I would also like to give further massive recognition for the entire resus, radiography and majors team to Dr Milan and Dr Alex, staff nurses Laura and Banke, radiographer Nico and, most especially an outstanding level 3 HCA and aspiring midwifery student, Emily, for their 100 per cent+ perfect care of both me and the many others in here both yesterday, today and every shift they do I am sure).

Please, dear readers, never take our wonderful NHS/emergency services for granted.

Obviously I pray you never have need of their services but, in the potential that you may, always be grateful for what we have in this country, free at point of delivery.

Whatever the toll on the system and, most especially the staff, through causes, certainly, as a result of successive government's poor spending decisions but, and I genuinely believe this to the underlying reason (even though it is always tempting to blame the government of the day or the sad cases of occasional human error), it has become beleaguered and run down because of it's own successes since inception by Nye Bevan.

At that time nobody could have predicted just what huge advances in medical treatments would take place in such a relatively short time, leading of course to more babies and mums surviving childbirth, the eradication of many of the diseases that claimed people throughout all age groups, and the banishing, for the majority of people, of the "three score years and 10" mindset.

All great and positive in their own regards, but this will continue to put major strain on NHS resources.

It may be rickety, need loads of TLC and more fit for purpose restoration and repair than the small mountain of political plasters used over the years, but it's ours.

As a medically retired former staff member myself, I know that I can be the most frustrating of patients (the complexity of my condition and the fact that, when on opiates for pain-relief, I single-handedly can make talking utter rubbish an Olympic sport!), and that's when I'm neither happy nor particularly responsive positively so I say this: Bless you all guys and gals, you are all true heroes in my heart.

REV BARRY RATHBONE Scott Close, Poole