Kevin Pyne, of Lake Street, Dartmouth, writes: Speaking as one who was born onto the books of the Dartmouth medical practice and someone who has spent time convalescing in Dart-mouth Hospital, I would urge all those who wish to rush off to build a new, all-purpose medical centre to think of the feel-good factor that comes from actually being in a hospital with a fantastic river view and not just a view of a bland, sprawling estate wall. Believe me, you lie there in bed or you look out from the day rooms and think: 'I made it and I'm back in my wonderful riverside home town and my life is moving again in the right direction.' I know the hospital all too well, as my parents both died there, as did my wife aged 46. And oh my, weren't the staff good to her, and to myself, during our time in the hospital, so much so that the once palliative care room was founded in part by family and friends and is dedicated to her, as is supposedly a new room that is up and running and as of yet has no plaque. So come on Carol Linguard and keep your promise to get it sorted, perhaps in time for the anniversary of her death this next coming week. It could, though, be argued that, if a doctor had picked up on her condition earlier, she might have stood a slim chance of recovery, while for me that was certainly the case after a routine operation went disastrously wrong in Torbay. You see, I actually had raging necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease from which I was lucky not to die and necessitated countless operations, skin and muscle grafts and many other bits that meant my spending one day shy of six months in hospital. It should be noted that I came to Dartmouth Hospital with a medical problem that the vast Derriford Hospital had failed time and time again to sort out, but little Dartmouth Hospital did. It is hard as a lay person to doubt the word of medical professionals because, even if not deliberately, they can perhaps frighten you or make you feel uncomfortable that you are somehow questioning their professionalism and dedication. Yes, it may be true that we need a one-stop, flashy, new, all-singing and dancing hospital/medical practice, and if we do then let's all have some input into it, as we are in fact the customers and the clients. Moreover, my other questions would be: who then owns the old site, which was paid for by public subscription and later the League of Friends?; and will this fantastic site suddenly be lost to a property developer, or will it stay as it should, in the local public shared domain and be, say, a home for those who are elderly and need care? In truth, I feel an element of discomfort in writing this letter and expressing my fears to others with regards the relocation of the combined medical practice and cottage hospital. Because, despite some bad experiences, the majority of my medical experiences during my 64 years of life have been happy and good, even funny ones, for which I am very grateful. But what needs to be said needs to be said so that we get what we want and not just what others want us to have by way of care, as we perhaps become infirm and sick and inevitably older. I have had conveyor-belt medical care and in Derriford some of the nursing care for the elderly and for myself was shameful. I never want to experience it again.