What assessment has the Welsh Government made of any difference in waiting times experienced by Powys residents receiving planned treatment in English hospitals compared with English residents receiving the same treatment at the same hospitals?
The Welsh Government is committed to ensuring that people in Powys receive timely access to planned care, regardless of whether treatment is provided by a Welsh or English NHS organisation. Our focus is on reducing waiting times, eliminating the longest waits and securing equitable access to care through targeted investment, rigorous performance oversight and collaboration with partner organisations across the border.
Through the 2026-27 Planned Care Recovery Programme, Powys Teaching Health Board has received an allocation to support the reduction of long waits and improve access to diagnostics. This includes monies to address referral-to-treatment waiting times, with a particular focus on eliminating waits over 104 weeks, and support for the achievement of the eight-week diagnostic target. The funding will support additional activity delivered both through commissioned providers and wider recovery initiatives designed to reduce the longest waits experienced by Powys residents.
The Welsh Government and Powys Teaching Health Board maintain regular discussions regarding planned care performance, cross-border commissioning arrangements and the recovery of waiting times. These discussions focus on ensuring patients receive treatment as quickly as possible while operating within the established commissioning framework between NHS Wales and NHS England providers. The impact of waiting times on Powys residents is monitored through routine performance management arrangements and forms part of wider planned care recovery oversight.
Waiting time standards in Wales and England are governed by different policy frameworks and performance measures. However, treatment is delivered according to clinical need and provider capacity. The Welsh Government's priority is not simply to compare national standards but to reduce the actual waits experienced by patients. Significant national investment has therefore been directed towards reducing the longest waits, increasing treatment capacity and improving diagnostic access. As a result, health boards, including Powys, are expected to eliminate waits over 104 weeks and continue reducing overall waiting times.
The Welsh Government has considered a range of approaches to improving access for Powys residents receiving treatment from English providers. Current arrangements reflect the longstanding principle that patients remain subject to the commissioning and performance framework of their home health system. The emphasis has therefore been on improving access through recovery funding, additional commissioned activity and strengthened cross-border working rather than reverting to previous arrangements.
To ensure Powys residents are not disadvantaged, the Welsh Government continues to work closely with Powys Teaching Health Board to maximise available treatment opportunities, address capacity constraints and target investment towards areas of greatest demand. The additional recovery funding provided to Powys during 2026-27 is a key element of this approach and is specifically intended to reduce the longest waits and improve timely access to treatment and diagnostics.
Alongside planned care recovery work, the Welsh Government has commissioned a refreshed feasibility assessment of a Regional Diagnostic Centre (RDC) model for Powys. Stakeholder engagement and evidence gathering are currently underway with Powys Teaching Health Board, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and NHS Wales Performance and Improvement data specialists. The assessment is examining current activity, infrastructure requirements, lessons learned from the previous Aneurin Bevan service and the potential impact on patient access. A final report is expected to be submitted in October 2026 and will provide evidence-based recommendations to inform future diagnostic service development in Powys.