LET me tell your readers why the local NHS Trust is accused of a £4.5million overspend.

It is because they put patients at the top of the list, Number One in order of importance, treatment before cost of treatment.

I was recently told by a consultant at BRI that I needed an MRI brain scan and if I agreed I would get an appointment date through the post and that the letter would arrive in about three weeks.

The appointments department duty sent a letter and I was expecting the scan date to be some time in the future but no -- from the date of the meeting with my consultant to the actual MRI brain and eye scan was exactly four weeks.

That's putting patients first.

My thanks to the staff at BRI, you were great.

BRIAN PEARSON (via email), Blackburn.