On reading Oliver Francis’s (Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals) criticism of Michael Hugh-Jones’s comments on questionable reporting of MRSA reductions, I thought Michael’s response was as well mannered as always.

However, one comment from the full annual report, repeated by Oliver, struck me as very odd. It said: ‘’We [ORH] narrowly missed the PCT target of 432 cases of C-Difficile in pain patients over 65 by eight cases’’.

Oliver follows this by saying ‘the ORH’s objective remains the prevention of all cases of avoidable infection in our patients.’ However, this statement would be more believable if the PCT target was nil for different ages.

The wording also suggests that there are different targets for different ages, which is a disgusting ageist discriminatory thought.

I am used to the NHS treating the over 70s as less important as younger folk, but now it appears that the figure has dropped to 65.

In the current financial climate, and having already passed the age of 60, I think I’d better start checking out my physical fitness before I rapidly become part of the NHS/PCT acceptable target risk. All cases of infection are avoidable, if you can eradicate human error.

Michael Heavey

Oxford Road

Old Marston

Oxford