Real emergency

I AM astonished that Dr Helen Thomas, an adviser to NHS England, wants to ban people from going to A&E unless they call the NHS nonurgent number 111 first.

When my husband suddenly became seriously ill, I did, indeed, ring 111, only to be told that they were not taking any calls that day.

Subsequently, when my husband was struck down on two occasions with sepsis, were I to have rung 111, the delay this would have caused in him receiving treatment could have been fatal.

I had to ring 999 eight times in as many weeks and I cannot speak highly enough of the care we received from the ambulance service.

JUNE WARD, Bath.