Kevin Pyne, of Lake Street, Dartmouth, writes: I wasn't at the recent meeting between our local doctors and their patients concerning the future of all things medical here on the banks of the Dart and the surrounding practice area. I meant to be, but circumstances brought about by my health intervened. But if I had been there I would have said that perhaps we might give serious thought to having two practices to give us, the customers, a bit of choice – one on top of the hill and one remaining down in the town. You see, when I was a young man, even if the practices were right opposite each other, we had an element of choice if we were not happy. And while I can see that the property on the south embankment and the current practice site may well be worth a ­fortune, who wants to be ill or pass away down on the ­industrial estate, in among the factories and various marine craft? Perhaps land within the boundaries of the naval college could be made available for nursing staff housing, or even for a new hospital, as they have far too much space relative to the size and numbers who now train there? On the plus side, we the ­residents of Lake Street might well get the parking spaces in Victoria place back, as they have, perhaps justifiably, been filched by the doctors during the 44 years I have lived here. Moreover, I hope it is all about our health and not about money. I am not being critical of those who care for us, even if I may have been given cause to have been so in the past, because all in all I feel I am ­reasonably well looked after ­relative to the rest of the ­country, especially as it is free. But we do need a huge say in what is being planned for us all and not find ourselves in the situation of being the third party to a done deal. The staff working in the Victoria Place medical centre and in the truly wonderful ­hospital at Dartmouth are special, unique and precious, and we all of us have but one chance to get it right for them as well as for us and our ­medical health needs in the long term.