Labour Party runs Wales’ health service

I AM surprised that the Western Mail did not explain to readers in its article headed “More Welsh voters trust Labour with NHS – poll” published on May 30 that it is the Labour Party which runs the NHS in Wales and not the Tory government at Westminster.

Labour has done so ever since the National Assembly was set up in 1999. So when the article goes on to say that 62% of Welsh voters think that the health service in Wales has “got worse in the past three years” and almost half have struggled to get an appointment with their GP over the past year, they are criticising a Labour-run NHS and not the English NHS, which is a separate body run by the Westminster government. So the failings are not down to Theresa May but to Carwyn Jones.

It is apparent that many people in Wales do not understand the devolution settlement which handed health and education, among other things, to the Welsh Government, which has been led without interruption by Labour for 18 years.

So any shortcomings in health provision in Wales should be laid at the door of the Labour Party and not the Conservatives.

Of course, it suits Labour politicians in Wales to muddy the waters by attacking the Conservative government on health matters when they know only too well that the problems in Wales are down to their own incompetence and inadequacy.

As the national newspaper of Wales, the Western Mail has a duty to explain how devolution works so voters can make informed choices at the election. Jayne Isaac Maesteg