I am a care assistant for the elderly - an ex-telephonist who worked for British Telecom for eight years until being made redundant.

I am appalled to read patients lives are at risk in parts of Sussex due to having no ambulance service (December 19).

As a telephonist, I manned a switchboard nearly every Christmas Day.

As a carer, I am again working a good part of the holiday.

It is about time the Government started thinking about the elderly in the community, instead of feathering its own nest all the time, and recruited more staff.

-S A Toth, Hove Park Villas, Hove