Dear Editor,

Earlier this week Plaid Cymru revealed that almost 30 GP surgeries in Wales are using premium 0844 numbers. This means that when patients phone to book an appointment or speak to their surgery, they could be facing extortionate bills of up to 44p per minute.

We’ve all experienced the frustration of being stuck on hold as we try to contact our surgeries, so it’s worrying to learn that these calls could be very expensive.

This is a particular concern for patients from poorer backgrounds who are often more prone to illness.

Plaid Cymru is clear that these charges go against the policies that we supported when we were in government, such as free prescriptions and free parking in hospitals.

We need to stamp out this unfair practice, I have written to the Health Minister to call for him to do just that.

ELIN JONES

Plaid Cymru Shadow Health Minister