On behalf of the thousands of patients who have recently received care in St Helier Hospital’s Accident and Emergency department (not to mention the team of dedicated staff who work there), I would like to correct a claim contained in Jenny Bushell’s Letter to the Editor (‘NHS reorganisation has caused damage’, published 19 February).

In the closing paragraph Ms Bushell incorrectly states that: “St Helier lost its accident and emergency department, but has so far survived.”

I would like to assure your readers that our accident and emergency department is very much open, and doing far better than simply ‘surviving’.

In fact, during December, our A&E units saw a staggering 13,046 patients – a 10% increase on the same period in 2013.

The month also included the hospitals’ busiest week on record, with more than 3,138 coming through A&E in just a seven day period.

Then in January, and despite a steep rise in demand, the Friends and Family Test showed that 96% of patients who needed care in the A&E departments would recommend the units to their loved ones – that’s 10% higher than the national average.

There are no plans to close the A&E departments at Epsom or St Helier.

We are incredibly proud of the care we provide across our hospitals and in our emergency departments, and hope the hard work and commitment of our staff does not go unnoticed.

Yours sincerely,

Daniel Elkeles

Chief Executive Officer