In response to the revelations that the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) are refusing to fully comply with Powys Teaching Health Board’s policy to intentionally increase treatment wait times for Welsh Patients using English Hospitals, James Evans MS, Senedd Member for Brecon and Radnorshire, and Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said:
“When English hospitals are openly refusing to implement Powys Teaching Health Board’s instruction to slow down treatment, it tells you everything you need to know, this policy is unsafe, unethical and completely indefensible.
“English trusts are effectively saying what Powys Teaching Health Board won’t admit: intentionally delaying treatment for Powys patients is wrong. This refusal to comply shows just how outrageous and dangerous Powys Teaching Health Board’s policy is. Powys patients should not be forced to wait longer simply because PTHB has lost control of its finances.
“I have previously condemned the decision, as delaying essential surgery for local residents only leads to worsening conditions, increased emergency department attendance, and higher overall costs, this has been echoed by the Wye Valley Trust, which confirmed the policy is ‘poor value for money’.
“The silence from Powys Teaching Health Board and Welsh Government is unacceptable. People in chronic pain, people waiting for orthopaedic surgery, people who have already been pushed across the border for care, they deserve honesty. Right now they are being left in limbo while two systems clash around them.
“I warned repeatedly that forcing English providers to slow down to Welsh waiting-time levels would put Powys patients at risk. We are now seeing exactly that. Welsh Ministers must urgently intervene. This policy must be withdrawn immediately before more people suffer.”
