Sir – Being quite badly disabled, I have just received my first physiotherapy for several years (delayed due to correction surgeries).

My physio’ session was at Witney community hospital, and it is no surprise the waiting list for physio’ is 12 to 14 weeks.

My physiotherapist has to cover the whole of West Oxfordshire and is only allowed to work 17 hours per week. Her expertise is such that, after only a one-hour session yesterday, my mobility has improved.

Cuts to services of this nature in the present economic climate only worsen the financial burden on the country because of there being so many disabled folk relying on benefits. Our elderly population is rapidly increasing due to advances made in treatment of illness among old people. It seems counter-productive to help the aged community recover from illness then not to follow up with physiotherapy soon after hospital discharge such that they very soon become ill again. This further puts pressure on our over-burdened NHS hospitals and staff. Surely it is cheaper to keep people healthy rather than having to re-treat and re-treat them continually.

This shortage in the physiotherapist service in the PM’s own constituency only highlights Mr Cameron’s weakness, as well as the coalition’s inability to recognise where the real problems are in real public issues.

Adrian Taylor, Eynsham