IT WAS shocking to hear last week how many hospital trusts have missed their A&E waiting time targets - but it wasn't a surprise.

Most people who have spent time in an accident and emergency department in recent months will tell you they had to wait hours to be seen, sometimes with serious injuries, such as broken bones.

They may also tell you about the bit that comes before that - the ambulance journey to get there - and how they queued simply to be let in through the doors of the hospital.

But I'm also sure those same people will be the first to tell you about the kind, hard-working and generally lovely staff who are on the frontline day in, day out.

They will say they could not have been cared for with more courtesy or respect - but that those same staff are completely overwhelmed and cannot do the jobs they are being expected to do.

As it happens, just days before the story broke, a relative of mine slipped on some ice and suffered a nasty broken bone.

Instead of being taken to Furness or Lancaster A&E, as she requested, she was told the paramedics could only take her to Westmorland General's assessment unit - as the waiting time at Lancaster especially would be too long.

As the name suggests, she was duly assessed - then sent home for two days while she waited to have her smashed bone operated on and put in a cast.

Surely I can't be alone in thinking this is not how someone should be treated, when they've worked hard, paid taxes and lived as healthily as they can.

But it seems that hospital trusts are seeing their workloads increase to an unmanageable level, as their funding is slashed by the government.

So we need to become a country that stands up and tells its government that it cannot pull apart yet another valuable public service.

The amount of money given to the NHS should match demand.

We need to march, argue, debate, write letters, send emails, sign petitions - anything we can to make it clear that we, as a united kingdom, will not stand by and watch as top decision-makers rip the heart out of our beloved health service.

(Don't worry, I'm stepping down off my soap box now...)