I DO hope that the new Government is going to be very sympathetic when dealing with the nursing profession.

Last week I had to attend York Hospital’s ear department, which I do regularly, for treatment of an ear problem I have suffered with after contracting measles as a child.

The nurse attending me was absolutely wonderful: efficient, old school and a proper nurse. Competent, thorough and caring. Staff nurse Jill Baker retires, sadly, in a few weeks time after more than 30 years. We seem to be blessed at York in having many high-quality nurses of Jill’s calibre.

Nurses coming through the system should be cloned in her style and she should be used for master classes.

I was saddened to hear recently of a friend’s daughter who trained for many years to degree level of nursing and was put on a very difficult ward in a southern hospital on qualifying. The experience was so bad that she has resigned.

What a sad waste, We need to nurture our new nurses, not lose them.

We don’t have an NHS unless we value those nurses on the front line doing really difficult unspeakable personal jobs with very sick patients. They are the true face of the NHS and they should be well rewarded.

Keith Massey, Bishopthorpe, York