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Board confirms that waiting time measures will not be implemented but difficult choices still needed

Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) has agreed not to implement changes to waiting times for appointments and procedures in English hospitals at a meeting on 29 January 2025.

Additional waiting list measures for the current financial year had been considered at a meeting on 10 January 2025, where it was agreed that further information was needed before a decision could be made.  Based on further work with NHS providers in England, the Board received and approved a recommendation on 29 January 2025 that these measures should not be implemented.

However, the Board also recognised that the financial position for the NHS remained very challenging and noted that further work would be required with providers of hospital care for Powys residents to ensure that activity plans are affordable for the public purse in the year ahead.

Dr Carl Cooper, Chair of Powys Teaching Health Board, said:

“In making this decision we took account of the pressing need to address the very difficult financial position for the health board, as well as the impact on patients and the challenges in implementing such measures. We also recognised that this would not have led to patients waiting longer than Welsh waiting time targets other than in known challenged specialties such as spinal surgery.

“When we put our plan in place for 2024/25 we did not expect the pace of improvement in waiting times that we have seen in the English NHS. These improvements are positive news for patients, albeit that they have caused additional, in-year cost pressures for our Health Board.

“In developing our plan for 2025/26 we need to make sure this offers the best quality and outcomes for patients, builds on our strong commissioning relationships with providers of hospital services in both England and Wales, and is affordable within the resources we receive from Welsh Government.

“We are therefore working with NHS providers to agree a commissioning approach that best meets the overall healthcare needs of Powys residents in a way that is affordable to the public purse. This will be central to the development of our Integrated Plan for 2025/26.”

The next meeting of the Board is due to take place on 26 March 2025 and will include an update on the development of the health board’s plans for 2025/26.

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