NHS: Welsh Affairs Committee asks for government plans to prevent cross-border healthcare delays

The Welsh Affairs Committee has asked the UK and Welsh Governments for more detail on their plans to improve cross-border healthcare between England and Wales.

In two letters published today, the Committee asks whether the governments can develop systems to allow patients to be seen across the border more easily, such as through a single electronic patient record.

IT systems used by NHS staff across England and Wales do not always work together, the Committee recently heard, risking patients facing repeated tests or delays to their treatment.

The letters come after the UK Government announced plans to abolish NHS England, with details still to come on how this will be implemented.

The letters, addressed to Wes Streeting, UK Health Secretary and Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care in the Welsh Government, are available on the Committee's website.

The letters also ask for details of any tangible benefits for patients likely to come from the “new partnership” between the UK and Welsh Governments, announced in September, to drive down waiting lists on both sides of the border.

Ruth Jones, Chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, said:

“The Government says it wants to bring the NHS back under democratic control. At the same time, it has announced a ‘new partnership' to drive down waiting lists in England and Wales.

But will these rhetorical steps result in concrete benefits for the many NHS patients accessing services across the Wales-England border?

We're asking for more detail on the steps each government is taking, so we can ensure that healthcare services provide the best possible care to cross-border patients.”