THE tragic case of the man who died after spending hours waiting on a hospital trolley for a bed must be a concern to us all.

We have always assumed that when we were ill the great British Health Service would be there, ready and waiting. Well now waiting seems to be the operative word.

The doctors and nurses do a superb job under conditions which are becoming increasingly difficult.

Once upon a time it was only in the Winter when beds were short, now it seems to be an all year round problem. Just how are the hospital managers planning to cope with this increased demand?

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.