Over the last few years I have accompanied family members to hospital on numerous occasions, the latest visit being to the A&E department at the James Paget Hospital on Saturday, March 18.

I was again struck by the high degree of skill, professionalism and compassion of the medical staff and the wide range of medical equipment which is to hand. Our NHS is deservedly the envy of the world.

I am immensely grateful that this wonderful service delivers all this at a time when the government is steadily privatising the NHS (it says it isn’t), it is underfunding and under resourcing it (it says it isn’t), it under values staff (it says it doesn’t), and doesn’t care the service is at breaking point.

Ministers continue to dismiss the views of those in the medical profession who know what they are talking about and see at first hand the damage which has been inflicted by “six jobs” Osborne’s austerity for the poor, while he enjoys wealth beyond the wildest imagination of most people. No doubt the government hopes we will continue to believe their propaganda.

I am sure most ordinary people regard the NHS as a treasure and value it highly. Let’s hope it survives the government’s hatchets.

CERI WALFORD

Hawthorn Crescent,