THE plans had hardly left the drawing board when some people were saying that Worcestershire Royal Hospital would never be big enough to cope with demand.

Indeed, those with the temerity to suggest that Worcester's rising population and the closure of the A&E department at Kidderminster would have a significant effect on the hospital-to-be were invariably dismissed as scaremongers.

Trawling through our back pages, we also recall how a protest movement ultimately led to a doctor unseating a Labour cabinet minister over this very issue of adequate health provision.

But back to the present. Today, this newspaper has no satisfaction in reporting the appalling case of Maureen Duffy who - along with other patients - had to be diverted to the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch.

All this is bad enough. However, this parlous state of affairs comes as the Alexandra itself is facing massive cuts, reduced services and could also lose its accident and emergency department

Talk about deja vu. Do we learn absolutely nothing from history? One reason why the Royal finds itself full up is arguably because emergency cases from the north of the county may well find themselves taken to Worcester.

It doesn't take an Einstein to work out that if the proposed cuts are implemented at the Alexandra, then the burden will become even greater.

So. We have a single, simple message to officials and politicians. And that's get it sorted - quickly.