Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George challenged the Welsh Governments claim that no patients in Powys are waiting over two years for treatment, during questions to the First Minister
The First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan MS, has contradicted claims made just two weeks ago by her own Health Secretary, after it was revealed during First Minister’s Questions that at least 80 Powys residents are still waiting more than two years for treatment.
The Health Secretary, in a recent Welsh Government press release (22 May 2024), claimed that Powys Health Board has no patients waiting more than two years for treatment. However, this statement has now been discredited in the Senedd, with the First Minister acknowledging that many patients in Powys do indeed face long waits. The First Minister stated that there are about 81 people in Powys waiting for more than two years for treatment.
The Welsh Government statement followed the news that the First Minister’s target to reduce waiting lists had been missed. One notable failure is the First Minister’s revised target to bring two-year waits down to 8,000 by spring 2025, a target that was only set after the Welsh Government missed its original goal of eliminating two-year waits entirely by March 2023.
Responding to a question from Russell George MS, the First Minister admitted:
“There are about 81 people in Powys waiting for two years for treatment, 40 of them waiting for treatment in England. It’s England that’s slow.”
This marks a significant reversal from the Welsh Government’s earlier position and raises serious questions about the Welsh Government’s grasp of how healthcare is delivered in Powys, a county with no district general hospital and where most secondary care is commissioned out-of-county.
Mr George asked the First Minister to correct the Welsh Governments statement, and he says that many Powys residents are still waiting more than two years for treatment in hospitals in neighbouring counties, where services for Powys residents are routinely delivered.
Commenting after questions to the First Minister, Montgomeryshire MS Russell George said:
“The First Ministers response to me was bizarre and contradictory.
“She does not seem to acknowledge that recent Welsh Government statements that Powys patients are not waiting more than 2 years for treatment were incorrect but then goes onto confirm at least 80 patients in Powys are waiting for over 2 years.
“What’s deeply concerning is the Welsh Government’s apparent misunderstanding of how healthcare is delivered in Powys. We don’t have a district general hospital in the county, and our health board commissions care from hospitals in England and across Wales.
“Rather than taking responsibility, the First Minister then attempted to shift the blame onto NHS England. This was bizarre, as from next month, Powys patients will face even longer delays because the Welsh Government refuses to fund Powys Teaching Health Board to a point where it is able to buy healthcare capacity in England based on English waiting times.
‘’English hospitals have capacity to treat Powys patients more quickly but are being instructed not to due to funding arrangements from the Welsh Government.
“The people of Powys deserve honesty and action and not excuses. The Welsh Government must ensure fair access to treatment, whether that care is delivered in Wales or across the border.”