MPs Investigate Cross-Border Healthcare Challenges for Patients
A parliamentary committee is looking into how cross-border healthcare can improve for patients in England and Wales
Wales, England, Healthcare, Patients, Waiting Lists, NHS
Cardiff: A recent meeting of the Welsh Affairs Committee brought to light some serious issues in cross-border healthcare. Dr. David Bailey, a GP, shared that the delays caused by red tape are putting patients at risk. He pointed out that while switching GPs within the same country is quick, moving across the border can take weeks.
Dr. Bailey emphasized the need for better coordination, saying it shouldn’t take eight to ten weeks to get care. He mentioned that there are separate GP lists for England and Wales, and merging them could really help. He also noted that there’s been a lack of political will to tackle these problems.
During the meeting, they discussed real-life examples of how the system has failed patients. One case involved a cancer patient who was transferred to a facility in Wales but couldn’t get access to their medical records. That’s just not acceptable.
Dr. Stephen Kelly, another doctor at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, shared his own experience of having to track down a patient’s notes because they couldn’t remember their consultant’s name. He stressed that better access to medical systems would make a huge difference.
Interestingly, waiting times are shorter in England than in Wales, which means Welsh patients are at a disadvantage. The committee also heard from health executives who acknowledged that while there’s good collaboration, there’s still room for improvement.
Carol Shillabeer, from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, mentioned that everyone is eager to help resolve these issues. However, Simon Whitehouse from NHS Shropshire pointed out that funding and capacity challenges still exist.
They also discussed how Welsh patients in England face shorter waiting lists, while the opposite is true for English patients in Wales. Concerns were raised about potential changes that could worsen the waiting list situation in the future.
Overall, it’s clear that while there are efforts to improve cross-border healthcare, there’s still a long way to go. The pandemic has only made waiting lists longer, but patients in Powys are seeing shorter waits compared to the rest of Wales.