Madam,

I had personal experience this week of one aspect the impact of austerity on GIG and the NHS.

At a health centre I had blood taken from both arms. I was asked whether I was allergic to anything. I said not. Was I allergic to plasters? A small square patch was to be used to cover the punctures made by the needles. I said that I wasn’t. I use plasters from time to time in the normal course of things and also rolls of plaster tape. I’ve never had anything remotely like an allergic reaction. The nurse said she asked because a lot of people were allergic to the new plasters supplied to the clinic.

The next day two square welts came up on my arms red and extremely itchy allergic reactions.

The new plasters are supplied to cut costs to try to budget within the spending constraints.

A friend told me that the needles to deliver medication to diabetics that were being supplied to health centres are now shorter than before - from 8mms to 4mms. That makes the injections more painful and distressing.

Cuts mean that our children go to schools which are inadequately resourced, eat meals which are provided as cheaply as possible and find their after school activities, in music, dance and drama, cut.

Our mothers cannot feed themselves and their children to the standard they need to. Cuts mean that courses for our teenagers are cut and they must join the forces at 16 to get the training they need.

Public transport, our bus and train services, are poorly resourced.

House building is woefully inadequate, causing homelessness and desperation among young adults, often couples, forced to live with their parents.

Our mental health services let our young people down. Wales is kept short of the money we need and are entitled to.

Cuts affect the less well off, from the poorest to the barely managing. How long are the people of Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland going to tolerate the obscene austerity policies?

How long must we suffer from these cuts that deteriorate our health, our well-being and the lives of us all?

Yours etc, Ian MacIntyre, Shelbourne Court, St John’s Hill, Barmouth.

Have your say on the local issues affecting you - email [email protected] or join in the conversation on our Facebook page