RECENTLY I had to take my 96-year-old dad to the PCAS at Westmorland General Hospital at Kendal.

My dad was exhausted, with a rotten cough, a chest infection and very weak.

In his state of ill health he has been snoozing a lot. He left home at 9.30am. X ray sent him to PCAS, where we waited. And waited. Craig, a kind 25-year-old, was due to go in before us. He, too, had waited for a good while. In view of my dad's poor health Craig was asked if he minded if we 'overtook' him.

Craig, I am so grateful to you for agreeing.

After having been looked after very well by the doctor we eventually got home at 4.10 pm - nearly seven hours after leaving home. If Criag hadn't been so kind as to let us 'jump the queue' we would have got home even later. Poor dad was so wiped out he struggled to get up the stairs then he slept most of the evening.

It was a pleasure to see such kindness and respect to the oldies.

Richard

Coventry

l Editor's note: To maintain patient confidentiality the surname of the letter writer has been removed.