RISHI SUNAK’S opponents in the Richmond constituency clearly aren’t paying attention (Echo, Nov 23).

Anyone who has followed the developments at the Friarage Hospital will know that when it comes to emergency care in Northallerton money is not and never has been the issue.

The managers, the doctors at the Friarage, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and Mr Sunak’s independent report on the issue commissioned from healthcare consultants Carnall Farrar have confirmed in recent years and months that the reasons why the consultant anaesthetists cannot be recruited to what was the smallest A&E department in England include increased specialism in critical care and the doctors’ preference to work in large centres with enough patients to keep their skills up to scratch.

The fact that the 24/7 urgent treatment centre which has been successfully running since March costs more to run (£1.7m a year) than the old A&E proves the point that this is not about cost cutting.

Josh Craggs, Northallerton