Cross border health – put the patient first says Guto Bebb

“Back in 2007 I attended a Public Meeting in Colwyn Bay which was called by David Jones MP to highlight the absurd aims of the Welsh Assembly Health Minister to provide all neurosurgery care for Welsh patients from Cardiff or Swansea. Thankfully those ideas were kicked into touch and the Assembly backed down.

However, whilst the Conservative Party fully accepts that the Assembly is here and has responsibility for health provision it must be down in a way that reflects the geographical reality of Wales. Investment into Llandudno Hospital secured by the tremendous Public Campaign locally is most welcome. Upgrading Bodelwyddan and Ysbyty Gwynedd are changes that are again to be welcomed by anyone who believes in the National health Service. However, the key word is ‘National’.

I have been to Alderhey twice with my children, once due to the premature birth of my twin boys and then due to a particular issue which required specialist care. As I crossed the border into England there was no border point, no guards – it’s a border on paper only. And yet increasingly there are examples of decisions made by the Welsh Assembly which are more obsessed with spending the ‘Welsh pound’ in Wales than giving patients proper care. This results in longer waiting time for Welsh patients seeking treatment in English hospitals which are not being paid for treating Welsh patients at the same rate as English patients. Only recently this cross border issue was highlighted by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign in relation to the shortage of adequate services in North Wales and yet due to a lack of coherent relationships between the Assembly and cross border Health Authorities receive a far from comprehensive service.

If elected, a Conservative Government will create cross-border procedures in order to ensure that a border which exists in the mind of Assembly bureaucrats does not become a barrier for treatment for Welsh patients.

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