I WAS saddened to read M R Jackson's letter in the Citizen last week concerning the care he received at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

While I am able to sympathise with his experience as an in-patient, I cannot agree with his reasoning. I am also troubled by his assertion that 'only 90 per cent of Nurses gave skilled and compassionate service'.

Patients deserve to be cared for by people who are well-educated and understand the clinical evidence that underpins their practice. This does not mean that nurses shouldn't provide essential care, such as changing sheets and helping patients with washing and dressing - as Mr Jackson appears to suggest.

Such activities enable nurses to assess the mental and physical state of their patient, develop a means of communication and provide crucial comfort for individuals who may be very ill. Nursing is about using your hands, your heart and your head and is certainly not about being 'too posh to wash'.

Alex Stone, Royal College of Nursing, Lancaster.