Proposals to intentionally increase waiting times for Powys patients in English hospitals look set to be scrapped this week.

On January 10, Powys Teaching Health Board met to discuss controversial proposals to delay care for Powys patients at English hospitals to save money, as it attempts to save around £10 million. It was decided that further work was needed before a final decision was made.

The proposals were met with widespread opposition from the public and across the political spectrum.

Now, an updated recommendation will be presented to the board at a meeting on Wednesday (January 29).

The paper recommends that the board does not implement any changes to elective activity in quarter 4 of 2024/25, and notes that further work is required with providers to review the approach to commissioning activity in 2025/26 within available resources.

James Evans, MS for Brecon and Radnorshire said: “This is a victory for common sense and shows what Welsh Conservatives can achieve even in opposition.

“The proposal should never have been considered in the first place, but is a symptom of Labour’s failure to adequately fund health in rural Welsh communities, like Powys.

“Welsh Conservatives like myself and my colleague Russell George have applied this pressure and delivered a change in policy. This makes me more optimistic about the positive change we can deliver to fix Wales in government.”

If proposals had been given the green light, it could have meant waiting times extended by up to 11 weeks or longer for people in Powys, where some patients receive treatment from NHS England due to the county’s proximity to the border.

David Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe said: “I am glad that the health board seems to have listened to the public outcry over these proposals. They were always completely inappropriate.

“However, the situation that forced the health board into this corner remains, with the Welsh Labour Government insisting the health board makes £23 million in budget cuts.

“Welsh Labour needs to understand the challenges of providing health care in a rural county like ours which doesn’t have its own hospital.

“I won’t stop fighting to protect our local health care services.”