Latest news with #PowysTeachingHealthBoard
Cambrian News
2 days ago
- Health
- Cambrian News
Concern over waiting time policies for Powys patients
The cost cutting measure by Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) came into force on 1 July and means that some residents in parts of Powys will face longer waiting times for planned care at English hospitals such as the Royal Shrewsbury or Hereford County hospitals..
Powys County Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Powys County Times
Powys cross border patients miss out on £120m NHS cash
Powys' cross border patients have been cut out of £120 million of new Welsh NHS funding. It has emerged that a £120 million fund that the Welsh Government announced last month to cut waiting times for Welsh patients will not include funding for Powys residents waiting for treatment in England. Starting this week, some Powys patients will wait longer than English patients, when being treated in hospitals in England. The plans to intentionally make patients wait longer by Powys Teaching Health Board were agreed back in March. Powys patients are now facing slower access to treatment in English hospitals despite available capacity. Powys Teaching Health Board has said it needed to bring about this action to live within its means and to respond to the financial expectations set out by the Welsh Government. Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George, said that when news of a £120 million fund was announced last month to cut waiting times for Welsh patients, he wrote to the Health Secretary Jeremy Miles MS, and asked him to set out how the £120 million would benefit Powys patients who are on a waiting list in England. After further questioning by Mr Geroge in the Senedd, Mr Miles confirmed that the funding would be targeted at Welsh health board waiting lists. 'Powys residents, who are waiting to be seen in other Welsh health boards, will also benefit from the additional funding,' said Mr Miles. 'As of April 2025, there were 380 outpatient pathways from Powys waiting more than 52 weeks at other Welsh health boards. 'This additional funding to support our ambitious plan to continue reducing long waits and the overall size of the wating list is targeted at Welsh health board waiting lists.' Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app Mr George MS, said that people in Powys feel 'short-changed', and challenged the Health Secretary to ensure Powys Teaching Health Board receives sufficient funding to purchase healthcare based on shorter English waiting time standards, adding that the current situation 'treats Powys patients as second-class citizens''. 'After the debate, it's clearer than ever that the Welsh Government is again letting Powys down,' said Mr George. 'I again asked for clarification, and yet, Jeremy Miles MS did not address my requests that this additional funding should be used to pay hospitals just over the border in England to treat Powys patients, in the same timeframes as English patients are treated in the same hospitals. 'People in Powys will wait longer than patients just over the border, for the same treatment, in the same hospitals, due to the Welsh Government not being prepared to fund Powys Teaching Health Board adequately. 'This means Powys residents will wait longer for treatment because of financial constraints. 'This is a failure of political will, not resources.'
The Hindu
22-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
The Hindu-Naruvi Hospital webinar on ‘Gadgets in ENT' held
Gadgets, including mobile phones, earphones, headphones, high volume speakers, and televisions increase the risk of hearing loss in youth, medical experts said. While speaking at the The Hindu-Naruvi Hospital webinar on 'Gadgets in ENT' on Sunday, panelists voiced concerns over the effect of modern technology. 'Noise-induced hearing loss is a major neglected public health challenge, and requires advocacy for implementation of behavioural change,' Mary Kurien, Professor and Head, Department of ENT, Naruvi Hosptal, Vellore, said. Dr. Kurien said it was important to identify early symptoms of ENT-related problems, and that listeners should be careful to not use ill-fitting personal audio devices. 'No audio device should be used for too long. Audio devices should also be regularly cleaned and sanitised to avoid infection in the ear,' she said. Usage of gadgets aside, sometimes, medicines, including antibiotics, anti-malarial drugs, diuretics, and cancer medicines; and conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, abnormal cholesterol, obesity, infective meningitis, and measles, could also lead to deterioration in hearing, Dr. Kurien said. When people used a cotton bud, it could damage the delicate skin of the ear canal, and may cause infection, earache and tinnitus, and they also risked puncturing the eardrum, Sadhana Chandrababu, practitioner in advanced audiology with the Powys Teaching Health Board, National Health Service (NHS), the U.K, said. People should avoid long exposure to high decibel sounds, Vikram M., ENT consultant, Naruvi Hospital, said. 'If you hear ringing or humming sounds in your ears when you leave work, or you have to shout to be heard by a co-worker at your workplace, realise that noise is a problem in your office and could affect your hearing in the long run,' Dr. Vikram said. The webinar was the 13th in a series of 15 under the 'Happy India Healthy India' initiative presented by Naruvi Hospitals in association with The Hindu.
Powys County Times
22-06-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
Opinion: Powys patients are being let down by the Government
Earlier this month, the Welsh Government claimed that no patient in Powys is waiting more than two years for treatment, writes Russell George MS. Let me be absolutely clear: that is simply not true. Unlike other counties in Wales, Powys does not have a District General Hospital. Our residents are instead referred to hospitals across the border in England, or in other parts of Wales. That means when the Welsh Government says, 'no one in Powys is waiting more than two years,' they are not counting the very patients who are actually waiting for treatment, just because they're not being treated in Powys. When I raised with the First Minister, she confirmed to me that there are at least 81 patients from Powys who have been waiting over two years, 40 of whom are waiting in English hospitals. The Welsh Government's only response was to shift blame to the English NHS, calling it 'slow.', but that doesn't wash because we know that English treatment times for English patients are much faster than the Welsh waiting times. What the Welsh Government conveniently failed to mention is that it is Powys Teaching Health Board that has asked English hospitals to deliberately slow down treatment for Powys patients due to Powys Health Board's financial situation, a financial situation that they have consistently asked the Welsh Government to address. This is a betrayal of patients who have already waited far too long for the care they need and deserve. The Welsh Government must stop playing games with the figures and start being honest with the people of Powys. If 81 people from Powys are waiting more than two years for treatment, then that is the figure that matters, not how it looks on a government spreadsheet. These are real people behind these numbers. People in pain. People waiting for hip and knee replacements, cancer treatment, and vital operations. They deserve transparency, not distortion. It's time for the Welsh Government to treat Powys patients fairly and fund their care based on the services they actually use, regardless of which side of the border they're on. What should happen is the Welsh Government should provide Powys Teaching Health Board the finance they need, in order for the health board to be able to pay English providers for treating Powys patients, based on the much faster English waiting times.
Powys County Times
11-06-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
Delay Llanidloes hospital decision, Powys Health Board told
Calls have been made to Powys Teaching Health Board to delay the imminent decision on the potential permanent "downgrade" of Llanidloes Hospital. People living in town and surrounding area feel there has been a "consistent failure" to involve them in important decisions that could affect the town's hospital. Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds MS has shared her "deep and urgent concerns" with Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) about the future of healthcare provision in Llanidloes. She has called for PTHB's decision to be delayed until "meaningful" community engagement can be demonstrated with residents in the Llanidloes area. Ms Dodds says adopting the recent changes permanently would have a "profoundly detrimental" impact on Powys residents who heavily rely on the hospital's services. " Llanidloes Hospital holds significant value for the people of the town and surrounding areas, both practically and symbolically," the party leader told PTHB. "There are serious concerns about the lack of transparency and democratic engagement demonstrated by the Health Board throughout this process. "Many residents feel that there has been a consistent failure to adequately consult or involve the community in decisions that directly affect their healthcare provision. "The future of Llanidloes Hospital, and the wellbeing of those who depend on it, must not be determined without the meaningful input of the community it serves. "In light of this, I respectfully request that you delay your imminent decision on the potential permanent downgrade of the hospital, until you can demonstrate meaningful community engagement with the residents of the Llanidloes area. "Furthermore, I am calling for a reversal of the downgrade, and in particular a restoration of the ability of local GPs to admit local patients to the Hospital." Llanidloes county councillor and prospective Senedd member Glyn Preston also joined his party leader's criticism of PTHB's approach to engaging with the community following the temporary downgrade to the hospital's services last year. 'The Health Board promised a full and proper consultation with the local community during this trial period of the hospital being used as a 'Ready-to-go-home-unit',' Cllr Preston said. 'Despite that, there has been no meaningful in person consultation with Llanidloes residents, and the Health Board seemed poised to rubber-stamp the downgrade for good at their board meeting next month.' "Earlier this year we asked people and partner organisations across the county to share their views on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges for health services. We are grateful to hundreds of people who shared their views. 'Building on the what we heard this spring, the next stage of this work is now under way. This asks for ideas about how adult physical and mental health community services should be delivered in future. "There are lots of ways to get involved including by visiting our engagement website, popping in to your local library where printed information packs are available, or contacting us by phone, email or post to request a copy of our discussion document. 'The focus of our Better Together conversation during 2025 is on adult physical and mental health community services. After this, we will focus on planned care (such as routine outpatients, surgical day cases and investigations which help to identify a health condition or disease) followed by services which support children, families and women's health.
