The NHS is often criticised for various malpractices – occasionally medical, but mostly administrational. But I have to congratulate the truly professional and frequently outstanding skills of Oxfordshire’s paramedics.

Gone are the days of simple ambulance men whose basic first aid knowledge revealed them as essentially drivers of the ‘load ‘em up – get ‘em to hospital quick’ variety.

Paramedics are medically well trained and regularly save lives before arriving at A & E departments.

Their training gives them the air of appearing un-phased by any medical emergency and their ability to subdue the fears of worried patients or friends and relatives, never fails to amaze me.

This is what I call true professionalism – and they are worth every penny of their salaries.

Others who go unmentioned and un-thanked are those who man the phones and keep you talking while you are waiting for the paramedics to arrive. They keep patients focused and less-likely to panic, before signing off by telling you to open the front door for the paramedics a fraction of a second before they arrive.

Well done to them as well.

The class act of these two areas does show up the weaker aspects of the NHS, like NHS Direct – which is more likely to stress people out and risk unnecessary delay – and a management hierarchy with an apparent inability to organise reliable inter-departmental communication.

This only emphasises the internal gaps in professionalism.

Mick Heavey Oxford Road Old Marston Oxford