Save portlaoise A&E services now following the Leaked Report of the Midlands. Hospital group management .

My son has quite severe asthma. He's 12 now and he's had asthma since he was a baby, even before children are usually formally diagnosed with asthma. As a result of his asthma, we've often had to bring him in to a&e during the night. If we had to travel any further I'm not confident that he'd make it. He has been admitted to hospital on several occasions because of his asthma and I've lost count of the number of times he's had to go on a nebuliser in paeds a&e. The nurses in paeds know him by now so when they see him coming, they know to see him straight away. The A&E nurses know that when he has an attack he gets bad very quickly. Sometimes we don't need to go to A&E, his inhalers are able to control the attack. Not always though. When he gets to the point at home that his inhalers aren't getting it under control we get into the car and drive 7 miles to portlaoise. I don't like to think what would happen if portlaoise hospital was downgraded or closed.

We need this hospital. It's a disgrace to even consider downgrading the vital services it provides.