HOW I agree with Alison Parkinson (Mail, May 26).

The amount of time wasted gazing at a screen does nothing to improve the patients’ needs, or teach nurses to do the job. “Hands-on” is what is needed with an experienced ward sister. She (or he) would teach much more in a week than a degree from university.

Like Alison, I trained in the very early days of the NHS (June 1948) – the first six weeks “at school” with Saturday off and all day Sunday on the wards.

Apart from how to make a bed, we learned respect for sisters and patients.

Bring back the good old days with sister, tutor and matron.

The training we received then is still valuable today (if you don’t lose your marbles too soon!)

MARY STIFF
Corunna Crescent
Cowley, Oxford