What fantastic news for staff, patients and residents that Chase Farm Hospital’s future is to be secured for the long term with a massive investment.

I think the Royal Free NHS Trust deserves great credit for producing a plan that means Chase Farm is here to stay. While I would prefer to see A&E return to Chase Farm, that’s clearly not on the cards. This plan means our hospital – subject to so much uncertainty and controversy for years – can now look ahead to the future with certainty, which is so important for staff as well as patients.

I would have hoped that it would also see Chase Farm stop being used as a political football, but alas it seems ex-MP Joan Ryan is determined to use it for political gain by stating the hospital is due to close. Such behaviour is utterly shameless – and yet why should we expect anything less given her past?

Malcolm Pearce

Ladysmith Road, Enfield