What discussions has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government on expanding hospital bed capacity by utilising extra capacity in England?
It is the responsibility of health boards to commission the additional capacity they require to meet the needs of their local population and achieve national targets. We have been clear with health boards they should use all available resources to support the reduction of long waits, including the use of additional capacity in NHS England and the independent sector where available.
Cross-border working is a feature of the NHS in Wales and England. Welsh health boards continue to build on the well-established mutual arrangements in place where NHS providers in Wales and England commission services for people who live in border communities. For example, in 2023-24, there were more than 60,000 finished consultant episodes of Welsh residents being treated in England.
As announced on 24 October, we are providing new funding of £28m to support health boards to further reduce long waits.