A new set of arrangements on the delivery of healthcare across the border between Wales and England will help English patients who live along the Welsh-English border.
The UK government has long been aware of problems affecting a significant number of patients who live along the Welsh-English border. There have been issues with how these people access healthcare in accordance with their rights, and that the new statement would remove ambiguity and resolve the issues.
In the UK, the NHS for England and the NHS for Wales are run as separate organisations.
The new cross-border arrangements are detailed in the ‘Statement of Values and Principles,’ as agreed between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Welsh Government, and replace the existing protocol established in 2005.
The main purpose of the statement is to prevent any treatment being refused or delayed due to uncertainty or ambiguity over which body is funding a person’s healthcare.
The old protocol outlined a process for residents on the border accessing healthcare and which bodies were legally and financially responsible, but soon after publication it was realised that the protocol did not comply with English law and constitutional rights.
English residents living along the border and registered with Welsh GPs were unable to exercise their rights to English standards in terms of waiting times for treatment and choice of secondary care provider. Extensive work has been carried out on both sides to ensure this is now possible, with both sides working with NHS clinical commissioning groups and local health boards to develop the new statement.
Patients will now be able to elect to receive treatment in Wales if they wish, and accept Welsh standards, or be referred to a provider under contract with NHS England.
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