Students' letter-writing campain supports our call for a new A&E

Year 3 students have been writing formal letters to Dacorum Borough Council in English classes to show their support for the Gazette’s call.

Each child has been developing their own ideas as well as learning how to craft formal correspondence, and the letters will be sent later this week.

Teacher Kate Kenyon said: “The letters started with students having to persuade me to give them chocolate, and then they had to write to the headteacher and convince them to get a different treat.

“When I saw the Gazette campaign it was obvious what a good link this was. So many students have been to hospital, or have had friends or relatives go to hospital, and know what good work goes on there and how important it is to have good health services.

“I also hope that it will be more memorable for the students too - this is something that’s going on in everyday life where they live, and something that they can talk about with their parents at home.”

The Gazette’s campaign to overhaul A&E services for Dacorum began in January, after a number of concerning reports about Watford Hospital’s A&E department.

In the space of one week patients were told on three separate occasions not to come in to A&E unless their condition was urgent.

And we spoke to a pensioner whose 69-year-old wife had to wait two-and-a-half hours for an ambulance after she suffered blackouts, only to then have to wait several more hours to be admitted to a bed.