THERE were 180 A&Es in the country in 2012. Are we going to be left with just 40?

Pop down to your local A&E. Check to see if signs have gone up calling it a "Major Emergency Department" or just an "Emergency Department".

I was dismayed when I read of the £20m being spent on Durham A&E (Echo, Mar 27). Sir Bruce Keogh is proposing that A&Es should be split into the two categories: Major Emergency Departments, ie Durham and James Cook, and Emergency Departments at Darlington, Stockton and poor old Northallerton (if it survives).

The Major Emergency Departments continue to get money poured into them, like Durham, but their Cinderella sister departments at Darlington and Stockton are left behind.

Sir Bruce Keogh wants to reduce the number of A&Es to just 40 major ones which do everything.

Separated into two leagues, it will be easy for Whitehall to then remove services from Darlington and Stockton until there is nothing left. Is Sir Bruce Keogh's plan the first stage in Whitehall's scheme to gradually shut bit by bit 140 A&Es?

Nigel Boddy, Darlington.