Cash-strapped health board could delay treatments

The dire state of the local health board’s finances could lead to a freeze in new recruits and patients facing longer waiting times as Powys Teaching Health Board battles to balance the books.

An ‘additional meeting’ of the Board is taking place on Friday to discuss a number of financial issues with “a recruitment freeze” among the items on the agenda aimed at plugging a near £10m shortfall.

Board members will also discuss ways of reining in the expense of using agency staff.

“The meeting will receive an update on the Health Board’s financial position, and discuss potential further actions that could be taken to support the Health Board to improve the financial outlook for 2024/25,” a spokesperson said.

You can access the relevant meeting paperwork and also watch the meeting live by clicking here.

But it is the measure to intentionally increase waiting times for elective procedures and outpatient appointments, particularly in English hospitals serving Powys patients, despite there being capacity at NHS hospitals serving the region, that has infuriated Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George.

He said he will urgently ask the Welsh Government to intervene.

“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.”

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.

Under the proposals being discussed this week, waiting times could increase by between five to 11 weeks, in order to help the Health Board get closer to balancing its books.