LIB DEMS ACCUSE LABOUR OF BACKTRACKING ON CROSS-BORDER NHS COMMITMENT
Patients in Powys are being left in pain and facing soaring waiting times after Labour’s flagship promise on cross-border NHS cooperation has unravelled, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have said.
At the start of this Parliament, Labour Ministers repeatedly pledged that “two Labour governments working together” would cut waiting lists by using spare capacity in NHS England to treat Welsh patients more quickly. In September 2024, the Secretary of State for Wales publicly committed to expanding cross-border arrangements so that patients could access earlier surgical treatment where capacity existed.
But more than a year on, Powys is seeing the exact reverse.
Spare capacity in hospitals in Herefordshire and Shropshire is no longer being used as it once was, and waiting times for many procedures have doubled almost overnight. Patients who could previously cross the border for hip and knee operations are now being forced to wait in pain, with some at risk of losing work or developing serious complications.
A petition started by the Liberal Democrats to reverse the new policy of extended waits has so far gathered over 1,500 signatures and is available to sign here: https://www.brlibdems.uk/health-cuts
During a heated exchange at the Welsh Affairs Committee, Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP David Chadwick challenged Labour Wales Office Minister Anna McMorrin on why the promised reforms have failed to materialise.
The Minister was unable to provide any clear plan, deadline or timeline for delivering the cross-border expansion that had been announced. Instead, she pointed to ongoing discussions and general “statements of values” between governments.
When pressed directly on the fact that waiting lists in Powys have grown despite available capacity in neighbouring English hospitals, the Minister disputed the characterisation but offered no concrete action to address it.
Local doctors have warned that delaying treatment for financial reasons rather than clinical need is dangerous, inefficient and ultimately more costly. There is also growing frustration that decisions taken behind closed doors are placing additional strain on English hospital trusts serving border communities.
Chadwick also criticised Welsh Labour Health Minister Jeremy Miles for refusing to meet or engage on the issue, accusing Labour of avoiding accountability while patients suffer.
David Chadwick MP, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, said:
“Labour stood up at the start of this Parliament and promised that two Labour governments working together would cut waiting lists. In Powys, waiting lists are going up, not down.
“Capacity exists in hospitals in Herefordshire and Shropshire. It was being used. Now it isn’t because of funding disputes and political buck-passing.
“During Committee, I asked for a clear plan. There wasn’t one. I asked for a timeline. There wasn’t one. What patients got instead were vague reassurances while their operations are pushed further and further back.
“People in Powys are angry and rightly so. They were promised faster treatment. Instead, they are being left in pain, left out of work and left wondering who is actually in charge.”
“This is Labour backtracking on a clear commitment to border communities. Patients deserve treatment based on clinical need, not political convenience. The Government must urgently get a grip and restore cross-border access before more damage is done.”
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
The audio of the exchange is available here, please note – due to faulty cameras in the Committee Room, no video is available, just audio
