“The people of Mid Wales do not support this, and we won’t stay silent while our healthcare suffers,” says an MP as he launched a petition against Powys’s extended hospital waiting times

Pressure is building on the Welsh Government and Powys Teaching Health Board after waiting times for Powys patients at English hospitals were extended.

Powys patients have to wait longer for operations at hospitals in Hereford, Shrewsbury, Telford and Oswestry since the change in policy was implemented on July 1 as the health board aims to cut its deficit.

Disquiet about the policy change is gathering pace, with a petition launched and Powys County Council’s Chairman and Knighton Town Council – demanding action.

Several residents have come forward to talk about the painful extended waits they now face including Howey woman Mel Wallace, who has been told she has to wait another 45 weeks having already waited 59 weeks for a hip operation.

The 59 year-old used to enjoy walking her dogs, gardening, going to the gym and riding her motorbike but now struggles to get out of the car or put her socks on.

She moved to Powys from Herefordshire in 2021 for the scenery and lifestyle, but her experience with the Welsh NHS has made her "wish I hadn't moved here".

Ms Wallace said she had not been informed about the change in policy and she wants it overturned and said waiting times given to those already on the list should be honoured.

Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP David Chadwick has launched a petition calling on the Welsh Government to properly fund the health board to ensure waiting times are no longer than it is for English patients. 

Mr Chadwick said: "These plans are a disaster for the people of Powys. Since Mel bravely shared her story, many other constituents have come forward with similar experiences—reporting serious delays to their treatments, in some cases being pushed back for months or even longer.

“It's completely unacceptable that Powys is being forced to slow down treatment times just to match lower national averages in Wales. This is not levelling the system, it’s dragging Powys down and allowing local residents to be treated as second-class citizens. 

“The Welsh Government must urgently intervene and scrap this damaging policy. We've launched a petition to send a clear message: the people of Mid Wales do not support this, and we won’t stay silent while our healthcare suffers. I urge all local residents to sign it and make their voices heard."

Powys County Council’s Chairman has also joined the fight, writing to Wales First Minister after a debate and vote at County Hall recently.

Councillor William Powell has called on Eluned Morgan to intervene and to provide funding support to PTHB to address the challenges of cross-border healthcare commissioning and ensure equitable access to timely care for Powys residents.

He said the council had opposed the discriminatory waiting time disparities and advocate for equitable treatment for Powys patients attending English hospitals after a motion was proposed by Councillor Beverley Baynham (Independent, Presteigne) and seconded by Councillor Joy Jones (Newtown East.)

He said the council also ‘demands systemic changes in healthcare policies that ensure all patients, regardless of residency, receive fair and timely treatment’ and to 

‘mobilise collective community support to raise awareness of these issues and challenge practices that compromise patient well-being and economic stability.’

Councillor Powell said: “The Chair and Members of Powys County Council await with interest the First Minister's response.”

Meanwhile, Knighton Town Council has called on the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the Welsh Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to intervene in the financial situation at Powys Teaching Health Board.

The motion was proposed at the July full council meeting by Councillor Bob Andrews and it was seconded by Deputy Mayor Councillor Tina Sharp. It was agreed unanimously by the council.

Councillor Andrews said; “It is a postcode lottery and a large number of patients are in a great deal of pain waiting for treatment. We ask all other town councils to write to the secretaries for state for health in England and Wales to support Powys patients in this situation.”

Previously there was no difference in how patients were treated but, since 1 July, the health board has asked that any planned treatment for its patients at hospitals in England are based on average NHS Wales waiting times.

Almost 40% of Powys Teaching Health Board's (PTHB) budget is spent on services outside its own borders - it does not have its own district general hospital.

Latest figures show there were 10,254 waits of two years or more for planned treatments in Wales, compared to just 158 in England.

With shorter waiting times in England, the Powys health board could not afford to pay the bills due to the speed the operations and other planned care like cataract surgery and diagnostic tests were being carried out.

According to PTHB’s  annual plan, applying NHS Wales waiting times would save £16.4m - the Welsh government has said it must save at least £26m and has intervened in the health board's finances, strategy and planning to address serious concerns.

But The Wye Valley NHS Trust has raised concerns about the policy change, with managing director Jane Ives telling a board meeting that 10,000 appointments or elective procedures would be affected there due to the knock-on effects.

"This is a very poor value for money proposition and has real impacts on patients," she said.

Meanwhile a PTHB meeting last week also heard Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust had not yet implemented the policy as negotiations continue "with an increasing risk of escalation".

Shropshire and Community NHS Trust said they would "continue to prioritise patient care on the basis of clinical need".

Powys Teaching Health board chief executive Hayley Thomas said people in Powys "should be treated in the same timeframe as residents of anywhere else in Wales".

She added: "We understand that the changes we have made to the way we commission planned care services will be frustrating and disappointing for patients and their families.

"It is vital that we live within our means. We cannot continue to spend money we do not have to offer faster access care to some parts of the county.

"Instead, we need to take a fairer approach that protects essential services for everyone."

The Welsh government said it remained "committed to reducing waiting times and ensuring everyone in Wales - including those in Powys - has equitable and timely access to treatment".

To sign the petition visit: https://www.brlibdems.uk/health-cuts