Sir - I was appalled to read that specialist services at the NOC may be in jeopardy.

This would be disastrous for patients such as myself who have relied on this particular hospital for treatment for multiple joint replacements.

Without the help of the NOC I would most probably be either dead, quadriplegic or at best unable to walk. As it is, I have been lucky to experience the finest and most skilled treatment and am able to live a normal life because of that. It would be disastrous if the combination of skills currently available at the NOC were denied to others.

Patients from all over Britain are accepted and treated here for replacement joints and limbs, as there is no other hospital in the country able to offer the combination of excellence and expertise that is available at this hospital. Surely the SHA and ultimately the Government can find sufficient funding to ensure that this vital work remains unchanged.

Elizabeth Venner, Waltham St Lawrence