UK and Welsh governments announce NHS collaboration

Martin Shipton

The UK and Welsh governments say they will collaborate on health care for the first time to help drive down waiting lists on both sides of the border and improve patient care.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens will announce a new partnership to facilitate an exchange of best practice to address key challenges facing NHS England and NHS Wales, at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

Ms Stevens and First Minister Eluned Morgan say they will set out how new ways of working together will help deliver the Labour government’s mission to build an NHS fit for the future.

The UK Government says it will “draw inspiration” from the work the Welsh Labour government has done to improve access to NHS dentistry, unlocking 400,000 appointments in the last two years. UK Labour committed to deliver 700,000 new dental appointments in England.

Extra appointments

Meanwhile, it is claimed that the Welsh Government will benefit from best practice shared by NHS England, as the new Westminster Labour government rolls out new, more productive ways of working across the NHS in England to deliver 40,000 extra appointments a week.

There will also be more opportunities to explore more cross-border collaboration, including developing mutual aid partnerships, enabling NHS bodies to support each other as capacity allows.

The previous UK Conservative Health Secretary suggested he was open to cross-border cooperation but failed to achieve meaningful agreement prior to the General Election.

Now, Labour claims the new cooperation between its administrations in Westminster and Cardiff will draw on expertise from officials across both governments to drive improvements in the day-to-day lives of people across Wales.

Labour claims this partnership will go further, focussing on delivering Labour’s five missions, the UK party’s general election manifesto commitments for Wales and the First Minister’s four priorities for Wales. It will also drive cooperation on legislation and regulation in both Parliament and the Senedd to strengthen and protect devolution.

Ms Stevens said: “Healthcare is one of the biggest shared challenges our two governments face and we are acting quickly to tackle it.

“These practical, common-sense steps could deliver real change on the ground for patients and clinicians. Until now, cheap political point scoring by the previous UK Conservative government made it impossible.

“This is only the first step in a bold new partnership between UK and Welsh Labour governments that will help deliver better care for patients and drive down waiting lists.

Proud

Baroness Morgan said: “People are rightly proud of the NHS, which was created here in Wales. They want to see the governments in Wales and the UK working together to ensure they have better access to care – whether that’s to an NHS dentist or to a planned operation.

“We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas and there’s lots we can learn from our closest neighbours and we have lots we can share with our colleagues in NHS England, where we have already made changes to our NHS.

“We are ready to harness the power of two Labour governments, with the same values and the same belief in our great National Health Service, working together to improve services for people on both sides of the border.”

In her speech to the Labour Party conference at 3pm on Monday September 23, Ms Stevens is expected to say: “…we know there is more to do to deliver the positive change in people’s day-to-day lives we promised. And that’s why I am proud to announce a new partnership between our two Labour governments to drive down NHS waiting lists on both sides of the border.

“The UK government will take inspiration from NHS Wales on dentistry, where reforms have unlocked almost 400,000 more appointments in the last two years.

“And the Welsh Government will benefit from best practice shared by NHS England as my colleague Wes Streeting oversees the roll out of new, more productive ways of working across England to deliver 40,000 extra appointments a week.

“This the beginning of a new way of working together that will help improve outcomes in both nations and deliver our missions.

“And it has only been possible because a changed Wales Office under Labour has a strong voice across government.

“I will always be our fiercest advocate in Westminster, leading a recharged Wales Office and a great team of Welsh Labour MPs.

“From Penarth to Pembrokeshire to Prestatyn. Reaching into every part of Wales and back across Welsh and UK governments to make sure Wales gets what it needs.”

‘Welcome news’

Reacting to the news, Sam Rowlands MS, the Welsh Conservative shadow health minister said: “This is long overdue, but welcome news.

“The Labour Welsh Government rejected this offer from the UK Conservative government for party political reasons, putting patients at risk.

“Labour must also accept some responsibility and put their full focus back onto the NHS and deliver more doctors and nurses, instead of politicians in the Senedd.”

‘Radical action’

Plaid Cymru’s health spokesperson Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said the NHS in Wales needed “radical action” to tackle deep-rooted issues of staff retention, investment and modernisation, as well as fairer funding from Westminster.

He said: “The reality is that Wales’s NHS has been underfunded and mismanaged by successive Welsh Labour governments for over two decades, leading to some of the longest waiting lists in the UK – and needs more than cosmetic collaboration with Westminster.

“While the UK and Welsh Labour governments tout this new partnership as a step forward for the NHS, it lacks clarity on how this will work in practice and doesn’t appear to offer the radical action required to address the underlying crisis faced by the Welsh NHS.

“We must also ensure that any future co-operation does not dilute Welsh health governance.”

Shadow Secretary of State for Wales Lord Byron Davies of Gower said: “It was the Conservatives that devised this plan – but the Labour Welsh Government’s short-sightedness meant they lost interest in it.

“I’m pleased Labour ministers have finally seen the light in realising our plan is the most effective method for tackling Welsh NHS backlogs.“

Vital

UNISON Cymru/Wales regional secretary Jess Turner said: “It is vital for the future of the NHS in both Wales and England that the two Labour governments work together to improve services for patients, particularly on the border, as well as conditions for the staff who work tirelessly to deliver them.

“Any collaboration must surely reference fair funding for Wales, as well as respect for Wales’ devolved values, which is why it is concerning to see the First Minister immediately reference increased use of the private sector to cut waiting lists.

“Focused work on recruitment and retention is crucial to reducing waiting list times for patients and improving services overall, as is fixing the crisis in social care through a publicly delivered national care service for Wales.”

“We look forward to proper engagement from the Welsh government with trade unions.”