Come Wednesday, Bradford will at last have an Accident & Emergency department at Bradford Royal Infirmary that suits the needs of such a major city. It is a £4 million investment which will surely be welcomed by every Bradfordian.

None of us know when we might needs the services of the A&E department, which is one of the busiest in the country. It's predicted that this year up to 100,000 patients will pass through it.

Those who have been treated there in the past will have been only too well aware of the shortcomings of the old department, in which patients and hard-working staff alike had to put up with cramped conditions which were once described by a hard-pressed consultant as being like something from the Third World.

One of the most important developments is the improved security for staff and patients. They have had enough to endure with the overcrowding, congestion and delays without also having to tolerate outbursts of physical and verbal violence from people high on drink or drugs or simply overwhelmed with frustration at having to wait a long time for treatment. Hopefully from now on the doctors and nurses will be able to focus totally on treating the patients without needing to cope with distractions of that sort as well.

The creation of a special children's department, too, should help to make a visit to A&E a much less harrowing experience for younger patients.

The department's staff have been managing to do an excellent job despite all the problems they have had to put up with. From Wednesday, they should be able to provide an even better service in more amenable conditions.