Claim: Powys received 0.1% of Senedd health fund boost

Member of the Senedd for Montgomeryshire, Russell George MS, has asked the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan MS, why Powys Teaching Health Board received just a fraction from a Welsh Government fund to shorten health waiting times.

During questions to the First Minister in the Senedd, Mr George highlighted that last year the Welsh Government provided £120 million of additional funding to the seven health boards across Wales to tackle the waiting-time backlog.

He pointed out that Cardiff and Vale Health Board in south Wales received over £20 million, while Powys Teaching Health Board received only £115,000 – less than 0.1% of the total allocation – despite Powys’s population being 40 times greater than 0.1%.

Mr George told the First Minister that if the funding had been allocated across Wales on a per-population basis, Powys would have received around £5 million, and he asked the First Minister to explain the rationale for the disparity and confirm whether Powys will receive further support.

The First Minister responded that funding is allocated on the basis of activity, noting Powys’s unique position as a health board without a district general hospital. She also said there was “no suggestion” that delays for Powys residents treated in England were related to a lack of funds.

Speaking after the exchange, Russell George MS said: “It is astonishing for the First Minister to say there is no suggestion that delays for Powys residents treated in England are linked to funding, when it is well documented that Powys Teaching Health Board has asked English providers to slow down treatment for Powys patients because it had to operate within the funding provided by the Welsh Government. The First Minister herself has previously acknowledged this.

“Powys is in a different position to other parts of Wales because many people receive treatment from NHS providers in other counties. But the bill still lands with Powys Health Board, and funding decisions must properly reflect that reality.

“When people are waiting for appointments and treatment, the decisions made about funding have real consequences for patients and for families who have already waited too long.

“I asked the Welsh Government to set out why Powys received such a small amount, and to confirm what additional support will now be provided to help Powys patients get timely care.”