When the NHS Defence Campaign complained, before the granting of planning permission to the new hospital, that it had far too few beds, hospital management insisted that we were wrong.

New technology would enable more day surgery patients would lie down for a while and then they would be packed off home.

Since then, the Trust has had to build a 60 bed intermediate unit, and now we hear it is booting some clerical staff out, to make way for new ward space.

This is the result of the dreaded PFI hospital building by way of hire purchase.

There have been many problems with the PFI hospitals that have been built so far, from sewerage and water inundating wards to ward doors not being big enough for the beds, and everywhere too few beds. It remains to be seen what the quality of work and design in the new hospital is like.

I understand that the wards have more beds than PMH. It will be interesting to know the number of nursing staff there will be compared to the current numbers.

We have yet to see the environmental and traffic impact of building the hospital on such a stupid site.

Those concerned about the state of our health service may have to organise a campaign for service provision which measures up to the needs of the local population.

Martin Wicks

Secretary, Swindon TUC

Welcombe Avenue, Park North