Paper pushers

I AM certain that the admin underpinning the NHS causes most of its problems. It’s unsurprising it is still using fax machines.

I briefly worked in HR in a hospital and was shocked at the old-fashioned methods.

Thirteen people were employed in HR for 850 staff. In any other business, a HR department of only seven would be needed.

I often finished my work by late morning and would ask for something else to do. I was told this would mean taking it away from

someone else. After ten weeks of boredom, I resigned.

A friend turned up for a hospital appointment only to find the consultant was on holiday. I missed an appointment because the letter was sent to an address I had lived at 30 years earlier.

When receiving a course of treatment, it is often not possible to make the next appointment before leaving the hospital. Instead the receptionist passes the request to a different department, a letter is typed and posted, wasting time and money.

A root-and-branch overhaul of NHS management is needed urgently, with the money saved put to use caring for patients. KAREN CARTWRIGHT,

Redditch, Worcs.