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An update from Dr Carl Cooper, Chair of Powys Teaching Health Board, on planning for 2025/26

No changes have currently been made to waiting times for referrals to hospitals in England. 

All patients are advised to continue to attend appointments as normal. 

There is no need to contact your hospital provider or your GP practice to ask for an update on when your appointment will take place, or to expedite your appointment unless your symptoms have significantly changed. You will remain on the waiting list and the hospital will contact you to arrange your appointment.

 

An update from Dr Carl Cooper, Chair of Powys Teaching Health Board, on planning for 2025/26 

 

A meeting of Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) took place on Wednesday 26 March 2025 to consider the health board’s plans and priorities for the year ahead. 

As a health board our first and foremost priority is to ensure the best possible healthcare for the people of Powys. 

The financial climate for the NHS across the UK remains very challenging. This is reflected in our own financial position here in Powys. 

At our meeting, the Board gave very careful consideration to a number of additional measures that will be taken during 2025/26 to improve our financial position whilst continuing to deliver good quality services for Powys patients in line with Welsh Government targets. 

We are committed to achieving operational savings of £11m on top of the £10.5m savings achieved in 2024-2025. Further actions that the Board has agreed as part of our 2025/26 plan include: 

  • Co-ordinated action to reduce the impact of Delayed Transfers of Care 

  • Continuing to work with the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee to manage costs associated with nationally commissioned services (e.g. specialist services) 

  • Commissioning activity from all providers based on the NHS Wales Performance targets 

We anticipate that any changes to waiting times would come into effect from July. We will ensure that patients and the public are kept informed during the spring, including through an update to the next meeting of the Board in May. 

In the meantime, no changes have currently been made to waiting times for referrals to hospitals in England. All patients are advised to continue to attend appointments as normal. 

There is no need to contact your hospital provider or your GP practice to ask for an update on when your appointment will take place, or to expedite your appointment unless your symptoms have significantly changed. You will remain on the waiting list and the hospital will contact you to arrange your appointment. 

We recognise that this news will be unsettling for patients who are waiting for an appointment or procedure, but please do be assured that the Board has given careful consideration to the best ways to maintain and deliver good quality services for our population. 

Dr Carl Cooper, Chair, Powys Teaching Health Board   

Further Information

  • The agenda and papers for the meeting on 26 March 2025, with a recording of the meeting, are available from our website: 26 March 2025 

  • Powys Teaching Health Board begins 2025/26 facing a financial deficit position of £38.4m. This is a significant distance from the Target Control Total set by Welsh Government of a £12m deficit. Exceptional action is needed, firstly to close this £26.4m gap between our starting position and the Target Control Total, and then to ensure that the health board can reach sustainable financial balance. 

  • Powys Teaching Health Board is currently in Level 4 escalation for finance, strategy and planning in the Welsh Government escalation framework. Actions agreed by the Board today support our wider programme of work with Welsh Government in response to Level 4 escalation to support the health board to move to a sustainable position. 

  • Waiting time measures were considered by the Board earlier in 2025. Whilst they were not agreed at that time, we made clear that our discussions with NHS providers to develop the plan for 2025/26 would need to include a commissioning approach that best meets the overall healthcare needs of Powys residents in a way that is affordable to the public purse. 

Released: 27/03/2025