THE Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport provided the backdrop for the Liberal Democrats' campaign yesterday.

A mobile poster truck highlighting their health policy arrived in Newport yesterday as part of a tour around Wales.

Veronica Watkins, candidate for Newport West, said: "Like all hospitals, the Royal Gwent Hospital has terrible problems with waiting times and delayed discharge ('bed blocking'). As politicians, we've to put money where our mouth is.

"That money would come from a new 50% tax rate on people earning more than £100,000, which would allow a bigger slice of the cake to come to Wales for the Assembly to find extra nurses and beds."

A spokesman for the Royal Gwent confirmed that, while bed blocking was not a major problem, it did affect the hospital from time to time. Yesterday there were 15 cases of what the trust call "delayed transfers of care" in the Royal Gwent and St Woolos. Health has been one of the major issues in early skirmishes in Newport West. Conservative candidate Dr Bill Morgan has used 30 years of experience in the NHS as a stick to beat Labour's Paul Flynn.

The two men clashed on the subject during Monday night's public meeting organised by Churches Together.

Dr Morgan said: "I have never known a government with a record as appalling as this one.

"They have reduced waiting lists by increasing the number waiting to go on the waiting lists."

Dr Morgan is a firm advocate of using the private sector to ensure patients get the treatment they need.

Mr Flynn hit back, saying that this election was not about the NHS, as health matters in Wales are controlled by the Assembly. "The elected candidate for Newport West will have no influence over the health service. Bill is in the wrong election campaign," he said.