'Shameful': Calls for immediate halt to Powys health board's deliberate delays for operations in Shropshire hospitals
A health board is facing calls for an immediate halt to its policy of deliberately delaying operations for Powys patients in English hospitals.
Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) is currently actively requesting that English hospitals, including those in Shropshire, delay planned care treatment for its patients.
The health board enacted the controversial policy, for non-cancer and non-emergency treatment, in July last year as a cost-saving measure.
The request means that patients from across the border face waiting potentially nearly twice as long for surgery as those living in England.
Powys does not have any major hospitals, requiring its residents to be treated at their nearest hospitals across the border in Shropshire and Herefordshire. But in practice the cash-strapped health board cannot afford the cost of operations being carried out more quickly over the border.
As a result the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) have been asked to delay appointments and potential surgery for patients.
English patients are currently treated with a target of an initial outpatient appointment within 18 weeks, and for any treatment within 65 weeks.
That target is expected to drop to 52 weeks by March this year.
PTHB has asked SaTH and RJAH to provide outpatient appointments within one year, and treatment within two years - in line with Welsh waiting time targets.
The request has been met with differing responses.
SaTH says all patients are still being treated the same - on the basis of clinical priority.
RJAH says it is complying with parts of the request.
It is understood the trust is not carrying out the request for initial outpatient appointments because of the clinical need to assess a patient's condition - and the risks that delays could pose.
It is complying with the request for treatment targets of 104 weeks.
Ned Hobbs, chief operating officer at SaTH, said: "We are continuing to treat Welsh and English patients the same, based on clinical priority and the length of time they have been waiting.
"We are working closely with Powys Teaching Health Board, seeking to deliver the best possible care with our combined available resources. Patients are advised to please attend their appointments as normal."
