The health board has told patients who live in Powys who receive care in England they will have to receive planned care treatments based on the NHS Wales waiting time measures as of 1 July due to the ‘significant financial pressures' of paying for cross-border surgeries.

A health board spokesperson said: ‘Residents of Powys should be treated in the same time frame as residents of anywhere else in Wales. The change aligns the waiting times for new and existing referrals to NHS England providers with the current position for Welsh providers. This ensures a consistent approach across all services commissioned by the health board for all of our residents.

‘It is vital that we live within our means. We cannot continue to spend money we do not have to offer faster access care to some parts of the county.'

The health board said it was in discussions regarding expanding the policy to include outpatient appointments later this year.

The latest figures show there were 10,254 waits of two years or more for planned treatments in Wales, compared with158 in England.

The Welsh Government said: ‘We remain committed to reducing waiting times and ensuring everyone in Wales – including those in Powys - has equitable and timely access to treatment.

‘We have been clear that all NHS Wales organisations must plan and deliver services for their population in line with Welsh Government targets and within the financial and staffing resources available.'

The health board received an additional £12.5m in 2024/25 to cover the additional cost of treating people in England to meet the Welsh waiting times target.  

A further £120m was announced in June 2025 with an ambition to eliminate two-year waits, reduce the overall waiting list by 200,000 and restore the maximum eight-week target for diagnostic tests by March 2026.