Crisis - what crisis? Airedale Hospital's medical director Dr Paul Godwin has correctly identified the reasons for the totally unacceptable work load pressures staff are facing.

It is nothing to do with a crisis. As he so rightly says, the demand for beds and services in the winter months is predictable. It doesn't take a genius to work that out.

The simple truth is that the hospital does not have enough beds or staff to cope with the easily recognisable peaks.

The issue is who should provide the funds to prevent this ever happening again? The Trust has a major responsibility to manage its budgets and control costs.

The government has a duty to provide adequate funding. Dr Godwin firmly lays the blame for the current situation with the government for not providing enough money.

If that situation wasn't enough, the hospital is facing a £300,000 overspend - most of which is needed to cover the cost of the working time directive. That cost is due to be paid by the Trust by the end of this financial year - which beggars all belief.

Extra money was spent on the millennium contingency plans which included buying extra ward supplies and drugs. One result of this funding farce is that the number of people waiting on trolleys for treatment has risen alarmingly.

Throughout the period of great pressure the staff have coped and moral is still quite high, which is wonderful. We all owe those people our thanks and we should do all we can to pressurise our elected representatives to make sure such a situation never occurs again.

It could be one of your loved ones laying for up to four hours on a trolley awaiting attention.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.