I HAVE recently had knee surgery at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.

I cannot praise the staff highly enough for the care I received and for the professional ordering of the whole procedure.

I would also point out these high standards continued over the last two days of my hospitalisation which happened to be at the weekend. Physiotherapists continued to arrive on the ward on Saturday and Sunday to help with exercises.

A hospital doctor was also available to sign prescriptions and discharge notes.

The government seems to be perpetuating a myth of “inadequate weekend care” as part of their bullying tactics over junior doctors’ contracts.

What do they mean by seven days a week care?

We already have good care and emergency cover at weekends.

If the government really want our hospitals to be running on “all systems go” seven days a week, they need a huge investment in staff at all levels and many more doctors.

The extra £12 billion they are currently boasting about is hardly going to pay “catch up” on existing debts run up by most cash-starved hospital trusts.

Our NHS is not expensive at 8.5 per cent of GDP –- the lowest spending on healthcare of all the G7 nations. To us citizens, it is an incomparable resource.

Jo Smith

Amberley