Petition launched opposing health board's moves to increase waiting times for patients

Elgan Hearn, local democracy reporter

A Senedd petition has been set up which urges the Welsh Government to intervene, after a health board decided to increase waiting times for patients to save money.

Health campaigner and Powys County Council’s anti-poverty champion Cllr Joy Jones launched the  petition in a bid to prevent Powys patients being treated like “second class citizens.”

This follows a decision taken last month by Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) to increase the waiting times for treating Powys residents in English hospitals as it looks to reduce its budget by over £20 million next year.

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'Immediate action'

Cllr Jones is calling on the Senedd to take : “Immediate action to prevent Powys patients treated in English hospitals from facing increased waiting times.

“This treats Powys patients as second-class citizens.

“Welsh targets apply to Welsh hospitals, shouldn’t apply to those treated in England.”

In her submission to the Petitions Committee Cllr Jones quotes First Minister luned Morgan who said earlier this year that: “I don’t want to see people in Powys suffer and I certainly don’t want them to go to the back of the queue if they are going to be treated across the border in England.”

Cllr Jones urges: the Welsh Government to: “plug the deficit and fund PTHB fairly.”

The petition has already garnered 688 signatures.

If 250 people sign the petition the Petitions committee will discuss it.

If more 10,000 people sign it, the petition will be considered for a debate on the Senedd floor.

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Annual plan

At a meeting of Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) on Wednesday, March 26, board members met to agree the annual plan for 2025/2026 ahead of its submission to the Welsh Government on Monday, March 31.

PTHB needed to find savings and cuts worth over £26 million next year to move from a £38.4 million deficit to a £12 million target control deficit set by the Welsh Government.

And £8.6 million worth of savings would be made by increasing the waiting times in English hospitals to match those in Wales.

Following the meeting PTHB has said that they “anticipate” the changes would come into force on July 1.

The petition will be online until May 28.

To sign it visit: https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246579