September 12: Common sense answers to NHS admissions

SOME time ago, I was unfortunate enough to cut myself opening a tin of corned beef and required seven stitches.

Since then, I have heard several comments from people that suggest this happens quite a lot.

I have no statistics but I wonder how many admissions there are to A&E hospital departments each year and I wonder what is the cost to the NHS, quite apart from the traumatic experience for the person involved. Could this risk be removed? It seems to me that this type of tin is outdated and should be re-designed.

From: Hugh Rogers, Messingham Road, Ashby.

I HOPE that whoever it was that published figures suggesting that you are more likely to die if you are admitted to hospital at the weekend because of staff shortages, will not mind if I point out that if you are admitted to hospital on a Saturday or Sunday, almost by definition you are either seriously-ill or critically injured.

For this reason, it seems
to me that, statistically 
speaking, you are more likely to die anyway because of the condition you were in when
the hospital admitted you,
despite the best efforts of the available staff.