The NHS in Sussex has been underfunded by almost £80 million over the last six years, figures released today have revealed.

Statistics from the Department of Health show the county's health trusts received millions of pounds less in funding each year since 2003 despite NHS assessments highlighting the need for the extra cash.

Last night the Government was condemned by community leaders for leaving Sussex's primary care trusts (PCTs) - the groups responsible for paying for local doctors, dentists and health centres - starved of funding.

Lewes MP Norman Baker said: "These figures reveal that Sussex is being underfunded despite having an elderly population and a higher than average call on the health service.

"It is not an acceptable situation and the Government should take steps to remedy it. Why should Sussex have to suffer a less well funded health service than the rest of the country?"

The figures were released after a question in Parliament by the Liberal Democrats about how the Government was funding the NHS.

The startling numbers show Brighton and Hove City PCT was handed £52.1 million less to fund health services in the city over the last six years than was suggested was needed by the NHS national funding formula - the Government's own estimate of how much each area needs for healthcare.

In West Sussex health bosses were left with £19.2 million less than the formula said was needed while Hastings and Rother PCT was underfunded by £17.2 million over the six years.

However East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT, which includes Peacehaven, Lewes and Crowborough, was shown over the period to have been given an extra £10 million more than was recommended by the funding formula.

If the Sussex trusts had been handed the extra £78m that the NHS originally assessed them as needing it could have transformed services across the county.

It could have been used to pay for the hiring of more than 560 trained midwives or 110 GPs for the last years - or allowed 600,000 fillings to be done for free by dentists.

The national funding formula calculates how much each PCT needs to serve the health needs of its community, taking into account such factors as the poverty levels in its areas and the percentage of the population that was elderly and needed support.

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Brian Oxley compared the funding shortfall to similar deficits in the council's grant from central government and its contribution to the cost of concessionary bus fares for the elderly.

He said: "Why are these formulas produced if the Government then goes and does something different?

"If the Government's own advice is that Brighton and Hove should get a certain amount, surely it should get that amount.

"£50 million pays for a lot of healthcare.

"It seems to repeat the pattern which has been established in other funding streams. Brighton and Hove and the south east seem to be getting less.

"It makes you want to ask what the Government has got against us."

Peter Jones, the leader of East Sussex County Council, said: "It has been pretty evident for quite some years that the funding of health services in the south east of England has been well below what it should have been.

"We have been short-changed for years.

"Both the health trusts and the county council are struggling to provide the care packages people need because we are both being underfunded.

"The result is we don't have the amount of money we need to provide the level of service necessary, particularly for the elderly of the county.

"The extra money in health economy of the county over the last few years would have made a huge difference, and we are all losers for it."

The Department of Health figures reveal vast differences between the calculations of the formula and the amounts actually handed out by the Government.

Over the six years the formula decided Brighton and Hove needed almost £2 billion to fund services but instead it received only £1.947 billion.

In West Sussex £5.29 billion was needed but just £5.27 billion was given to the trust while Hastings and Rother should have received just over £1.4 billion but instead received £1.38 billion.

East Sussex was given £2.34 billion when it should have had around £2.33 billion.

Nationally the figures reveal a shortfall over the six years of £13 billion - with dozens of PCTs regularly not getting the amount calculated for them.

The statistics show that most of the shortfall was between 2003 and 2005. Funding has improved over the last two years but despite that the trusts have still been left £78 million short since 2003.

West Sussex PCT director of finance Neil Ferrelly said: "We currently receive £25 million more than the target.

"There is a national review of the funding formula which is due to report in June or July and this may change how funds are allocated to West Sussex."

Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust said it believed it had been given the correct funding for each year it had been in operation - despite the Department of Health figures suggesting it was underfunded.

A spokesman said: "The formula used to work out what funding PCTs should receive has been recently reviewed and we expect to receive the correct amount of funding for 2009/10."

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "PCTs in the south east have enjoyed substantial above average increases in funding in the last two years and will receive a 5.5 per cent increase in 2008/9.

"The independent body that advises the Government in NHS funding allocations is currently reviewing the funding formula for the years 2009/11."

What do you think? Does Sussex deserve extra funding for health?