SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, calls for clarity on Welsh Government’s plans for collaboration between the Welsh and English health services.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Rowlands, Shadow Health Minister said there was confusion about how this new partnership would work and called for more clarity.
He said: “I’d like to call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, giving details on the British and Welsh Government’s plans for collaboration between the Welsh and English health services.
“We heard from the leader of Plaid Cymru some of the confusion in relation to this, and I’ve raised it in this Chamber in recent weeks as well.
“We know the Cabinet Secretary has set up an advisory group primarily looking at waiting lists, but the written statement in relation to this made no reference to this supposed partnership with the British Government. Seemingly, in multiple interviews he has rejected the idea of increasing the number of Welsh patients going to hospitals in England, despite this being an announcement from the Secretary of State for Wales just a few weeks ago at the Labour Party conference.
“To clear the air on this issue, and to get some clarity around the confusion around this new partnership working, we’d welcome a statement on these plans as soon as possible a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.”
Jane Hut, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefynydd and Chief Whip said the Cabinet Secretary, Jeremy Miles had announced an external ministerial advisory group on NHS performance and productivity and meetings were due to start next week.
Mr Rowlands added: “Labour’s Health Minister, Jeremy Miles’ ideological refusal to commit to comprehensive cross-border collaboration to reduce NHS waits will damage the prospects of patients across Wales.
“The current guidance for both cross-border and cross-community working is incredibly restrictive and is, in my view, a contributing factor to Wales having the longest NHS waits in the whole UK.
“Labour ministers need to swallow their pride, accept the support on offer that they failed to grasp when brought forward by the Conservatives and scrap the guidance that effectively imprisons patients within their local area, regardless of the length of wait.”
