It is a sad fact of life that when the NHS presents a solution to a problem, it is only the problem that gets the attention.

Your article (The Argus, April 12) initially claims that, due to hospital bed shortages, patients with mental health problems are being sent to bed and breakfast accommodation. This is not the case.

People who need a hospital bed get admitted to one. The problem has been that when they are fit to be discharged, there is nowhere for them to go so they are moved into B&B or private homes at great expense to the NHS and the taxpayer.

The strategy you report on outlines how this situation will be addressed through making more independent accommodation available - which will entirely avoid the need for B&B placements.

Not only is this a better experience for patients, it saves taxpayers' money - although the suggestion that bed blocking costs £27,000 a week is based on one extreme example. The average is about half that.

The underlying truth is that NHS and city council staff are constantly working hard to find solutions to problems that not only save money but also improve services. It is another sad fact of life that their work is so often unappreciated.

-Richard Forshaw, press and communications manager Brighton and Hove City NHS Primary Care Trust