Lib Dem Senedd Candidate Pledges Removing ‘Discriminatory’ Powys Waiting List Policy Would Be Top Priority
Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd candidate for Montgomeryshire, Cllr Glyn Preston, has pledged that scrapping the “discriminatory” cross-border waiting list policy affecting Powys patients would be his top priority if elected this May.
The policy, introduced under Welsh Labour, has seen Powys patients forced onto longer NHS Wales waiting lists even when being treated in English hospitals, despite those same hospitals offering faster treatment to patients living just across the border.
The issue has been repeatedly raised by the Liberal Democrat MP for the South of Powys David Chadwick, Shropshire MP Helen Morgan and Welsh Lib Dem Leader Jane Dodds, who have challenged both the Welsh and UK Governments and led debates exposing the real-life impact on patients. Evidence presented has shown that some Powys residents are now waiting up to twice as long for treatment as patients in neighbouring English communities in what the Lib Dems have described as a ‘discriminatory two-tier system’.
The campaign has also been supported heavily by the Lib Dem Cllr for Newtown Central and South Kelly Healy, who was personally impacted by the policy.
Powys Teaching Health Board’s decision to impose Welsh waiting time targets on English providers, despite Powys having no district general hospital of its own, has also drawn concern from clinicians, who warn the system is creating additional bureaucracy and inefficiency while worsening patient outcomes.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats say the situation highlights a broader failure by Welsh Labour to manage cross-border healthcare effectively, including long-standing issues with incompatible IT systems that prevent patient records from being shared seamlessly between services.
They also warned that Plaid Cymru’s plans for independence would risk further complicating cross-border arrangements, creating additional barriers between health systems and making it harder for patients to access timely care.
A petition started by Powys Lib Dems has already gained 1,600 signatures.
Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Candidate Cllr Glyn Preston said:
“This policy is blatantly cruel and must be scrapped. People in Powys are being forced to wait longer, not because of medical need, but because of a decision made by bureaucrats behind closed doors and enabled by the Welsh Labour Government.
“It is a cruel and indefensible act of levelling down. Patients in Montgomeryshire are effectively being treated as second-class compared to those living just over the border in England.
“As a Senedd Member, working with Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick, removing this policy would be my top priority. We need to restore fairness so that people are treated based on need, not postcode.
“Labour has had years to fix this and has failed. Powys patients deserve better, timely care, joined-up services and a system that works for rural communities, not against them.”
ENDS