Cuts to cross-border care on the cards

Residents are bracing for potential impacts on local health services as further cuts are anticipated to be unveiled this week, affecting not only Newtown but also services in north Powys.

The looming cuts are part of the Powys Teaching Health Board's efforts to address a significant financial challenge, with a £22 million overspend causing concerns and prompting the need for drastic measures.

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If these cuts are implemented, it could have repercussions on treatments at neighboring hospitals, including those in Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth, potentially causing disruptions for patients in need of medical care.

The Board is also discussing other measures such as a recruitment freeze and tighter control on agency expenditures.

The Health Board is also exploring collaboration with providers of NHS services in England to manage elective activities to align more closely with the waiting time standards of NHS Wales; essentially meaning that elective health service appointments which happen in England could be delayed.

Currently, Powys patients face average waiting times of 29 weeks at Gobowen's Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, and 24 weeks at Shrewsbury and Telford district Hospitals.

Commenting, Senedd Member for Montgomeryshire, Russell George said:

"Under what is being proposed, a Welsh NHS Health Board is effectively telling colleagues in England that they are treating patients too quickly and they can’t afford to pay. That would be completely scandalous."

"I would now expect the Welsh Government to intervene. This is not a case of there being no capacity to treat patients, it is quite the opposite. It is ridiculous that, despite there being capacity in NHS hospitals just over the border in England, patients from Powys will not receive treatment, because the local health board must meet Welsh Government financial targets."

"The Welsh Government should intervene and confirm to Powys Health Board that funding will be available to treat patients, especially when capacity is available in local NHS hospitals."

"It would be ludicrous if people from Wales had to wait longer for an operation than English patients in the same hospital, being treated by the same health professionals, simply because a Welsh NHS Health Board can’t afford to pay."

"People already endure long waits for treatment, often in pain and discomfort, and this is the last news they need to hear."

"I will be asking the Welsh Government First Minister and Health Minister to urgently intervene before Friday’s meeting, the Welsh Government need to appreciate that as Powys has no District General Hospitals, they need to fund the health board adequality to ensure they can pay other providers to deliver treatment for Powys patients."

"As was the case when this happened over a decade ago, the message seems to be, don’t fall ill if you live in Powys."

A spokesperson for Powys Teaching Health Board said:

“As a health board our first and foremost priority is to ensure the best possible health and healthcare for the people of Powys.

“But approaching the end of 2024/25 the financial climate for the NHS across the UK remains very challenging. This is reflected in our own financial position here in Powys.

“Throughout the year, teams across the health board have been working extremely hard to live within our means whilst focusing on our duty of quality at the heart of everything we do. However, further exceptional action is needed to deliver a further £9m savings so that we can achieve the financial targets agreed with Welsh Government.

“The health board is therefore introducing a freeze on recruitment and on agency spending.

“Alongside this we are considering changes to the way we commission some planned care (e.g. operations and outpatient appointments) from hospitals in England. A number of scenarios are being considered, which potentially could lead to some waiting times for operations and outpatient appointments being around 5-11 weeks longer than currently envisaged. However, our goal remains firmly focused on meeting the Welsh Government Ministerial Measure of achieving zero patients waiting over 104 weeks by the end of March 2025. These are clearly very complex and sensitive issues, and they will be considered openly at a meeting in public of the Board on 10 January 2025.

“We will ensure that further information is shared with local communities subject to the decisions made by the Board on Friday.”