NHS England told to keep patients in Powys waiting for operations

After a medical committee asked English hospitals to copy Wales longer waiting times, NHS patients from Wales, which need knee and hip operations in the UK, are faced with long delays.

Powys Health Board announced that the change was not able to meet how quickly the operations on the border have been carried out, but patients were not informed.

The 59 -year -old Mel Wallace from Howy was told to wait for a 12 -month wait for the hip prosthesis at the beginning, but now he faced a 45 -week wait after waiting 59 weeks.

Hayley Thomas, Chairman of the Health Board, said to the people in the region, “should be handled in the same time period with residents anywhere else in Wales”.

Previously there was no difference in how patients were treated, but since July 1, any treatment planned for patients in hospitals in the hospitals in the health committee, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Telford and Oswestry to stand the average NHS Wales waiting times.

Almost 40% of the budget of the Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) is spent on services other than its own boundaries – no own regional hospital.

The latest figures show that there are two or more 10,254 waiting for the planned treatments in Wales, compared to 158 in the UK.

Wales government, “to reduce the waiting periods and everyone in Wales – including what is in Powys – to ensure that it is determined to ensure fair and timely access to treatment,” he said.

In the UK, shorter waiting times and Powys Health Board could not pay invoices due to the speed of operations and other planned maintenance such as cataract surgery and diagnostic tests.

According to the annual plan, the application of NHS WALES waiting times will save £ 16.4 million – the Wales government should save at least 26 million pounds and intervene in the financing, strategy and serious concerns of the health committee.

This means that people from Powys wait for some two -year procedures, but excludes various high -risk patients, including children and cancer.

Mrs. Wallace was walking her dogs, gardener, gymnasium and motorcycle driving, but now she’s fighting to get out of the car or wear her socks.

For the stage and lifestyle, he moved to his home near Landrindod Wells from Herefordshire in 2021, but his experience with Wales NHS made him “I hadn’t moved here”.

Although an operation that started before the rule has changed, Mrs. Wallace said that they cannot send people a letter to inform them that it would affect them. “

He wants the overthrow of the policy, but in the meantime, he said that the waiting times given to the list should be honored.

66 -year -old Stephen Evans, a local administrative officer from Builth Wells, was planned for a double knee prosthesis and said that his first operation in May will be “within the next few weeks”.

When he called to follow the hospital, he was told that he would wait at least one more year and he said there was no contact with the medical committee or Galli NHS.

“When your life is waiting for such a decision, you deserve the truth, not an excuse,” he said.

“I choose to live here, but I am still entitled to medical treatments as someone who lives on the border of England.”

92 -year -old John Silk from Talgarth was a regular golfist and went to the gym until osteoarthritis worsened.

“Now I have a bar to walk through the front door, and a nightmare in the car.” He said.

In June, he had an operation in Hereford and went to the hospital twice for preparation.

When he called to ask why it was delayed to change knees, a secretary of “apologizing” was told that he should wait for another year because of budget cuts.

Like the others, NHS heard nothing from Wales. “I want them to face what they do.

“They cause unnecessary pain and pain. I don’t think this is a political idea, right?”

Thomas, Chairman of the Health Board, said: “We understand that the changes in the way we assign planned care services will be annoying and frustrated for patients and their families.

He continued: “It is very important that we live in our vehicles. We cannot continue to spend money, we do not have to offer faster access maintenance to some parts of the district.

“Instead, we must adopt a more fair approach that protects the basic services for everyone.”

For Brecon, Radnor and CWM Tawe, Liberal Democratic Deputy David Chadwick said he could not understand that the workers’ governments in Cardiff and Westminster are prioritized to reduce waiting lists and recreate people.

“This is not good enough, and therefore the Wales government should make sure that the Powys provides enough financing to commit the Medical Board Teaching Council to process these people faster.” He said.

Wye Valley NHS Trust also expressed concerns and General Manager Jane Ives said that a board meeting, 10,000 appointments or elective procedure will be affected by the knocked out effects.

“This is a very bad value for money proposal and has real effects on patients,” he said.

In the meantime, a PTHB meeting last week heard that he did not apply politics as he continued with a “increasing risk of rise” by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust.

Shropshire and Community NHS Trust said that they will continue to give priority to patient care on the basis of clinical need “.