He also promised that existing services would be withdrawn before "new and better" services replaced them.

As soon as I read this I got the feeling of déjà vu.

I seem to remember Darzi saying Hartlepool's maternity service would be made into a unit of excellence.

Then Patricia Hewitt knocked that idea on the head and sent our maternity unit to Teesside.

The recently replacement maternity service soon to appear in Hartlepool hospital – much lauded in the Mail – is to be run by midwives and while I respect the talents of midwifery, they are not paediatricians.

What if there are complications after the delivery of an infant? Is there going to be a paediatrician present or are these all through at Teesside in their unit of excellence?

Would the infant in danger be sent all the way to Teesside, which could be detrimental to the child? Or would it be a case of "travelling will do us good" – as Blair quoted?

Is this what Darzi meant by "better replacement services"?

Janek Witt,
Stockton Road,
Hartlepool.