I WAS interested in the recent February article on your website about the Critical Care Outreach team at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital.

Last weekend was the anniversary of my near-death experience in that hospital.

I spent the first five months of 2008 as an in-patient and on February 29, due to complications arising from an operation, I became critically ill and was expected to die. My family came from distant parts of the country to be with me at my end.

However, thanks to the outstanding care and amazing expertise from two members of the Outreach Team I am here one year later. They never gave up and I can now look forward to an extended future.

I will always be grateful to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital for this special care from the Outreach Team, the highly professional and compassionate 24-hour care that I received from the staff on the Colo-Rectal Ward (then Ward 25, now Ward 16) as well as to Mr Howell, Dr Radvan, Dr Shepherd and other consultants, all of whom gave me their attention and the opportunity to survive.

CYRIL BEECHER, Moorlands Road, West Moors, Ferndown