Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has called for equality of healthcare across Britain, highlighting in Parliament last week the plight of a constituent who had been asked to wait eight weeks for an urgent appointment at her local breast clinic, compared to the largely-achieved two week "suspected cancer" waiting time in England.
James, who during his time as an MP has repeatedly highlighted the disparity in waiting times for hospital appointments between Wales and England, on Wednesday raised the issue with the Prime Minister in the House of Commons.
He said:
“My constituent Carol Ridgway faces eight weeks of stress and worry as she waits for an urgent appointment at the local breast clinic in north Wales. Despite the pandemic, 85% of patients in England wait only two weeks for their urgent suspected cancer referrals. What can my right hon. Friend do to ensure equality of healthcare across Britain?”
The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said he was sorry to hear of the constituent's plight, adding:
“Health of course is a devolved matter, but I thank our NHS colleagues across the whole of the UK. I point out that the Welsh Government will benefit from an additional £3.8 billion of funding this year, plus a further £270 million to support the response to covid.”
Speaking afterwards, James, who has been an NHS doctor for 18 years and is a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Ministers in the Department for Health and Social Care, said:
“It is absolutely shocking that anyone should have to wait over two months for a "fast-track" appointment, and sadly my experience as both an MP and GP is that Carol is far from being alone in this. I fully appreciate the impact of the pandemic on the NHS, and that the quality of care is excellent once received, but if people in the rest of the UK are generally being seen within two weeks, then there really is no excuse as to why the same is not happening here.
“Waiting for an appointment of this nature can be incredibly nerve wracking and such long waits can cost lives. We all know when it comes to cancer, and indeed many other conditions, early diagnosis greatly increases the chances of effective treatment and a positive outcome.
“I therefore urge the Health Board to do everything within its means to remedy the situation.”
Latest data on the achievement of the two week wait in England can be accessed here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/12/Cancer-Waiting-Times-National-Time-Series-Oct-2009-Oct-2021-with-Revisions.xlsx. No such records are published for Wales.
