Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George challenged the First Minister to intervene on plans that will see Powys patients wait longer for treatment due to financial constraints
Plans to extend the time Powys patients wait for treatment in English hospitals in order to save money for Powys Teaching Health Board has been revived.
The proposal, which was scrapped earlier this year following public outcry, was reconsidered at a meeting on Wednesday 26th March. The board have this week (26/03/2025) approved a plan which would see Welsh patients held in English hospitals for longer periods, aligning with NHS Wales’s slower performance targets rather than the typically faster standards in England.
The move comes as Powys Teaching Health Board grapples with severe financial pressures. The board is facing a £15.8 million budget deficit for 2024/25, which could rise to £35.6 million without exceptional Welsh Government funding.
During his questioning of the First Minister during Scrutiny of the First Minster community today (28/03/2025), Russell George directly challenged the fairness of the decision.
He highlighted the absurdity of Powys patients being treated by the same health professionals in English hospitals but being forced to wait months longer simply due to their residency. Mr George pressed the First Minister today (28/03/2025) to intervene, asking the Welsh Government if they will be funding the £16 million funding gap required to ensure Welsh patients are treated according to English waiting times targets.
In response, the First Minister admitted she had only recently become aware of the situation but agreed that ‘’a situation where you have such disparities is not, not acceptable either’’. However, she stopped short of committing to provide additional funding, stating that the Health Secretary would investigate the matter further.
Commenting, Mr George said:
"Following Health Board plans being agreed to delay treatment for Powys patients being treated in English hospitals; the Welsh Government must now step to provide funding to the Health Board to ensure these plans don’t go ahead. Asking health providers in England to slow down the delivery of care for Welsh patients, despite there being sufficient capacity, is both unjust and indefensible.
"During my exchange with the First Minister, I was encouraged to hear her agree that such disparities are unacceptable. However, words alone will not solve this crisis. The Welsh Government must urgently commit to closing the £16 million funding gap so that Powys patients are treated based on English performance time targets.
"The focus should be on securing the necessary funding from the Welsh Government to purchase healthcare capacity in England based on English waiting times, not on imposing delays that will leave patients waiting and suffering needlessly."
‘’Following the First Minister confirming to me that the health secretary will be making further investigations into how they've come to this decision; and whilst we await this outcome, I will be keeping up the pressure on the Welsh Government to ensure that these plans are dropped.’’