Other than actual quality of care, the major factor which determines the effectiveness of A&E services is how quickly they can be reached.

As Redhill is fixed and Crawley now gone, we need a location two-thirds the distance between Redhill and the coast. Where could be better than Haywards Heath? It has many of the essentials there already.

Brighton, the biggest and busiest town in the area, gets clogged with traffic and has insufficient inward roads. South of it there are no patients, no ambulances, no roads, nothing but water! Somewhere busy and cut-off by water is the worst place to handle emergencies.

Haywards Heath is ideal. It is a small, quiet town with a comprehensive road infrastructure and only very rarely experiences traffic jams.

The acid test is to ask any ambulance driver which location he considers the easiest and fastest to reach. Anybody disagreeing with him would have to make some very strong arguments.

-Irene M. Grisedale, Perrymount Road, Haywards Heath