Powys MP says cross-border healthcare difficulties arel etting patients down
Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for the border constituency of Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe has said that the current cross border care situation is letting down Welsh patients, especially in Powys, following a a Welsh Affairs Select Committee meeting
Commenting after the session, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick said:
“My constituents in Powys are being let down by these systemic problems.
“Patients in border communities face challenges to accessing healthcare that other regions of Wales don’t and they often feel these are ignored by the Welsh Government, despite the fact between 15-20% of patients in Wales are treated in England.
“Now in addition to the usual difficulties with referrals and separate IT systems we have abysmal proposals from Powys Health Board to deliberately slow down the treatment of Welsh patients in hospitals in Herefordshire and Shropshire to save money.
“It isn’t good enough and both the UK and Welsh governments need to be getting together to solve it. Some of these issues have been highlighted for over 10 years, but they still haven't been addressed.”
During the Committee, David Chadwick outlined a piece of casework he had received this week where a constituent's late husband was receiving Cancer treatment in Hereford Hospital.
When the constituent needed urgent emergency end-of-life care he was admitted to
Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny. However, the team in Nevill Hall were unable to access his English hospital notes due to the differing IT systems in England and Wales.
David Chadwick said the issue caused the patients, who had to physically liaise between the oncologists in Hereford and Neville Hall, a great deal of distress at an already difficult time.
When asking Dr Stephen Kelly, Chair of the Welsh Consultants Committee, British Medical Association what the barriers were to a common IT system, something the Welsh Affairs Committee called for ten years ago in 2015, Dr Kelly identified a lack of political will as one of the factors that have prevented the problem being addressed.
David also raised proposals by Powys Teaching Health Board to purposely extend the treatment time of patients from Powys being treated in hospitals in Shropshire and Herefordshire. Near 50% of patients in Powys are treated in England the proposals have been met with widespread community opposition.
The proposals have been brought forward as the result of a £23 million budget deficit faced by Powys Teaching Health Board and the Board being told to make cuts to account for it. Powys Teaching Health Board has outlined that both Shropshire & Herefordshire are treating patients much faster than the national Welsh average, and this is making it difficult for Powys to afford the associated costs.
