At 2am on Christmas morning, a relative phoned me in considerable distress as she had been taken ill suddenly with abdominal pains and she was also bleeding.

She phoned her own GP and was given the number of NHS Direct, which she also rang, only to be told it would be two hours before a doctor could speak to her.

She couldn't go to A&E as she had two young children in the house who, naturally, could not be left. At 5am the doctor finally arrived, full of apologies, and said it was totally chaotic and they did not know which way to turn or who to prioritise.

What has happened to the GPs who, according to the papers, earn an inordinate amount of money but are not on call when they are obviously needed desperately.

So with the best will in the world, NHS Direct could not cope on that evening and I shudder to think what the casualty department at the Royal Bolton Hospital was like during that night. What a pass we have come to. Is this progress?

When I had my daughter in the middle of the night 30 years ago, I developed complications and my doctor not only came to see me, he arranged an ambulance as well and saw me safe into hospital.

I am shocked at what happened to my relative but, more to the point, it might have been a situation which could have resulted in disastrous consequences.

I do not pretend to have any answers, but common sense dictates that things must change, and answers found, to prevent this happening in the future.

M Evans

Horwich