SIR — We were shocked to hear of the proposal to close the MIU at Minehead Hospital at night (Free Press, March 14). It is unbelievable to think that a new purpose-built hospital is not fulfilling its true potential.

There are a number of questions we feel need to be addressed:

l Could the lack of night-time cover lead to serious health issues or even death?

l The distance to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton is many miles. The hospital covers a large area from Porlock and beyond to Dulverton. The ambulances have to travel narrow and winding roads. Adverse weather conditions can cause difficulties.

l Not everyone has transport to travel to Musgrove.

l What about the 'golden hour' for heart and stroke patients?

l Where does this cutback end? Could t lead to no weekend cover? At the height of the holiday season, our visitors need hospital care 24/7.

As a group, we think the people of Minehead deserve to have 24-hour care. We understand there is no GP cover either during the day or night. Locum doctors may not have the complex information about the patients they are caring for.

We hope the points in this letter can be addressed to our satisfaction.

Irene Aldridge,

Treasurer,

Minehead Quilters Group.