Montgomeryshire Assembly Member, Russell George, has accused Hywel Dda Health Board of failing to inform GPs in North Powys of its plans to delay orthopaedic surgery this coming winter.
The AM made his comments following weekly questions to the First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones AM. During the session, Mr George informed the First Minister of evidence that he received from GPs in the Machynlleth area, who only became aware of the Health Board’s proposals to deal with capacity pressures over the winter months, when they saw the story in the local press.
Mr George asked Mr Jones, whether he and the Health Minister who having openly backed Hywel Dda’s handling of its winter preparedness programme, accepted that the Health Board failed to consult GPs in North Powys about its plans.
Mr Jones said that while the plans were important, the main issue was that treatment would not be cancelled but would be rescheduled and that all urgent treatment would go ahead as normal if the plans were adopted.
Commenting, Mr George said:
“I am disappointed by the First Minister’s response because not only has he avoided answering my question, he has been completely ambiguous with his response.
“The fact is GPs in the west of my constituency who refer their patients to Bronglais for orthopaedic treatment, have been left completely in the dark by Hywel Dda Health Board on its plans to delay non-elective surgery this winter.
“While they are not in the health board area, they are key partners in the delivery of health services to patients in Mid Wales and they have either been ignored or forgotten.
“The First Minister may want to spin the potential outcome for patients if these plans are adopted but the fact of the matter is patients will be waiting considerably longer to have their operations and what’s worse, GPs in Montgomeryshire can’t even inform their patients how long that may be because they have been cut out of the process.”
Mr George continued to raise his concerns about Hywel Dda’s handling of its winter preparedness programme in a later Government debate on how the Welsh NHS prepares for winter pressures.
In that debate the AM said:
“A GP that I spoke to in Machynlleth told me that in the eighteen years he had been a GP in Mid Wales, this was the first time this has happened in such a premature pre-emptive fashion without any dialogue with primary care.
“That GP later approached the Assistant Medical Director of Bronglais and it seems that Hywel Dda had simply forgot to inform GP’s in North Powys and South Gwynedd about these winter plans, even though 30% of the work load at Bronglais comes from these areas – which I find absolutely astonishing.
“GPs are the gatekeepers to secondary care and have a duty to be consulted about how hospitals within which they will directly refer patients, practically go about dealing with services and capacity pressures caused by the winter weather.
“Given that the First Minister and the Health Minister have backed the Health Board’s approach, I would be very interested to hear their views on these key issues today in light of this new evidence.”
