WE always believed that Harold Musgrove and many of his pen-pushing health authority colleagues were out of touch with the lives of ordinary folk in Worcestershire.

But the outgoing NHS Trust chairman's attack on the Medical Staff Committee, for having the audacity to say where the service is going wrong - and why - proves the point.

His description of a secret MSC vote on the state of our hospitals as "divisive and demoralising" has a familiar ring.

That remains our view of the £9m Worcestershire Health Authority deficit that prompted the Strategic Health Review, and what resulted from it.

Be honest. Worcester's need for a new hospital shouldn't have resulted in so many people having to travel massive distances to enjoy their right to hospital treatment.

It shouldn't have ended with too few beds - or a lack of student nursing accommodation and staff car parking.

Yes, once it's open, we'll have a sparkling hotel-style facility.

That will be good news for those who find a bed or have a short visiting trip - but not for those with long journeys or unlucky enough to find it full.

The MSC's view about an "excessively complicated and ineffective organisational structure" is seen through eyes that have grown wider and wider with the months.

As for accusations of bullying, we have anecdotal evidence of members of staff being threatened with disciplinary action for talking to the media.

It doesn't feel good, and it doesn't augur well. The sooner the "significant changes" which the MSC's seeking are made, the better.