Countess of Chester hospital decision to stop accepting some patients from Wales to be ‘resolved’ this week says MP

A dispute which is preventing hundreds of patients in Wales from being treated at an English hospital could be resolved this week according to a local MP. 

Last month it was revealed the Countess of Chester Hospital would no longer take in outpatients from over the border after officials said they were not being paid sufficiently to look after them.

The move sparked widespread anger, particularly in Flintshire where a large number of people are affected, and the situation was branded ‘unacceptable’ by Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething.

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami believes a resolution to the situation will be found this week after he spoke with Health Minister Baroness Blackwood over the weekend.

Mr Tami said: “I was very encouraged by my conversation with Baroness Blackwood. There has been a breakthrough in discussions and it looks like the issue will be resolved by the end of the week.

“I will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that this is in fact the case. But I am confident that it will happen.

“It is not right that Welsh patients have been put through this but it is a relief that a timely resolution now seems very likely.”

Positive discussions over the weekend with the UK health minister. I am confident that the issue with Welsh patients at the Countess will be resolved this week

— Mark Tami (@MarkTamiMP) May 7, 2019

North Wales health bosses have said they are doing everything possible to allow patients living in the region to be treated at the Countess of Chester Hospital once more.

The move to stop outpatients from Wales being treated at the Countess hospital stems from the English trust’s dissatisfaction at the amount it is paid to look after Welsh patients.

During a meeting in Llandudno last week Senior figures from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board expressed their strong desire to resolve the situation following a series of high-level meetings between NHS and government representatives from England and Wales.

Sue Hill, executive director of finance, said: “We are doing everything we can to progress this to a conclusion as we understand the impact it is having on our patients living close to the border with Chester.