Reading is rightly in the forefront of Britain’s engagement with the world postBrexit.

With so many international and multinational companies, we’re lucky to have a hospital like the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH).

I had the fortune/misfortune to spend a few days at the RBH, recently. Two things struck me.

Foremost was the professionalism, care, kindness and patience of the nurses, doctors and the rest of the staff. Their calm in the face of so much – particularly in A&E and acute wards – is amazing.

But I was also struck by the speed and efficiency with which they coped with nonEnglish speaking patients.

When seriously ill, you may not remember your second language that well.

A Polish patient couldn’t explain his symptoms. They found a Polish nurse.

An Indian lady was too upset to speak clear English. They found a Punjabi speaker.

If a Brazilian fell ill on business in Reading, no problem: I met at least one Portuguese speaker in my brief stay.

The same would be true for any of the up and coming BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China) we trade with.

A lot is said about immigration. The Royal Berks is just one example of how immigration provides the stable infrastructure for a strong Britain to engage with the world.

Steve Jenkins, Reading