Lib Dems urge new Plaid Minister to ‘look again at the detail’ on Powys Healthcare Delays

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have raised concerns over the response from the new Plaid Cymru Health Minister to ongoing cross-border healthcare delays affecting patients in Powys.

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick, wrote to Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor outlining the problems facing Powys residents who receive treatment in English hospitals in Herefordshire and Shropshire. He called on the Minister to intervene and reverse a policy that has seen treatment times extended for Powys patients since August 2025.

Powys Teaching Health Board has argued that, because of budget pressures and the way services are funded by the Welsh Government, it can no longer afford to commission treatment at the faster rates available in Shropshire and Herefordshire. This is despite the fact that Powys has no general hospital.

As a result, many Powys patients are now waiting up to an additional year for treatment, with some facing delays of almost two years, often in serious pain, despite capacity continuing to exist in neighbouring English hospitals.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats argue that patients are no longer being treated solely according to clinical need and that spare NHS capacity in England, which could be helping to reduce waiting lists, is not being used.

Following the 2024 General Election, Labour's Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens promised to use spare NHS capacity in England to help reduce waiting lists. In Powys, however, the opposite is happening. Capacity exists in Herefordshire and Shropshire, but is no longer being used, not because hospitals are full, but because the Welsh NHS will not pay for its patients to use it.

The Liberal Democrats argue this approach is both damaging to patients and financially short-sighted, as delaying treatment often leads to poorer outcomes and greater costs in the future.

In his response, the new Plaid Cymru Minister stated that "it is the responsibility of health boards to plan and deliver services to meet the needs of their local populations and achieve national performance targets."

The Liberal Democrats say the response raises serious questions about whether the new Minister fully understands the cross-border healthcare arrangements he is now responsible for overseeing. They have also challenged his claim that "all Welsh residents who are treated in English hospitals are subject to Welsh waiting time standards", pointing out that this is not the case.

They also criticised the response as a continuation of the previous Labour Government's approach of hiding behind Health Boards while ignoring the fact that Welsh Government decisions on funding and waiting-time targets directly determine what Health Boards can and cannot do.

The party argues that the Welsh Government should be making use of available NHS capacity in England to reduce waiting times, rather than allowing patients to wait longer while treatment slots go unused.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick said:

"This response raises serious questions about whether Plaid Cymru fully understands the cross-border healthcare system, which is especially disappointing given that the Minister represents Powys.

"For decades, Liberal Democrat MPs Richard Livsey and Roger Williams fought to ensure Powys residents could access hospitals in Herefordshire and Shropshire because Mid Wales does not have a district general hospital of its own. Those arrangements exist for a reason and have served patients well.

"Spare NHS capacity exists across the border. Powys patients should benefit from it, not be forced to wait longer because of budget calculations that only result in greater costs in the long term.

"Patients do not care which side of the border they are treated on. They care about getting treatment when they need it. If the Welsh Government is serious about reducing waiting lists, it should be making use of every available appointment and operation slot.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are the only party consistently raising the appalling state of healthcare provision in Mid Wales, and we will continue to do so. Health Boards do not operate in a vacuum; they are accountable to Welsh Government ministers and the new Government must recognise this.

"I would encourage the Minister to again look at the detail of what is happening on the ground in Powys and the consequences it is having on not only individuals but the health care system as a whole and change course.”

ENDS