Letter to the Editor: On 30 June (Letters, Cambrian News) I admonished the Welsh Conservative opposition for criticising Welsh Labour’s NHS ambulance and dentistry provision. I described how the devolved NHS funding from Westminster was unfairly distributed to Wales by the Barnett Formula, which did not take account of demographic needs, as advised by the House of Lords, but ignored by Westminster.

Now the Welsh Conservatives are criticising the lack of surgical hubs to address the NHS case backlog (Health news in brief, Cambrian News, 28 September), whilst again refusing to recognise the inherent unfairness of the Barnett Formula, which their colleagues in Westminster administer. If administered according to demographic need, Wales would receive an extra £180 per year per head of population, or around half a billion pounds nationally per year. Quite a few ambulances, dentists and surgical hubs.

Now the twist in the tale, in that further research reveals that NHS England operates a needs based funding system in its internal health care system, individual care systems can receive additional funding according to their demographic needs. The Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew R T Davies extols England’s ability to  create numerous surgical hubs, but conveniently ignores the double dealing and blatant pork barrel politics of his Westminster colleagues.

Roger Louvet,

Porthmadog