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Remind me, NHS Wales has had less market based reform than NHS England, yes?

Welsh cancer patients are flooding into English hospitals for treatment they are being denied at home.

The number crossing the border has quadrupled from just 3,471 a decade ago to 15,450 last year.

The exodus is fuelled by a lack of access to the National Cancer Drugs Fund, which funds treatments rejected by the NHS or awaiting approval.

And almost 50 per cent of Welsh patients must wait six weeks or more for vital scans and tests compared with a 1 per cent figure in England.

3 thoughts on “Remind me, NHS Wales has had less market based reform than NHS England, yes?”

  1. This isn’t about market-based reforms. The main difference is the Cancer Drugs Fund which operates in England but not in Wales.

    The Welsh have chosen to spend their money on free prescriptions instead. That’s democracy for you.

  2. Right, so who is paying for Welshmen to come and get cancer drugs in England?

    That sounds a terrible thing to ask, but bear with me: I voted in the devolution referendum (was living in Bridgend for a while). I voted No; Wales voted Yes, just. Wales then decided it wanted spend its money on what it chose to spend its money on. That went for schools, hospitals, etc. It certainly wasn’t going to go for those evil English market reforms, oh no! Fine, now get on with it. Do not seek to spend English money as well, it doesn’t work like that.

  3. So Much for Subtlety

    Ironman – “Right, so who is paying for Welshmen to come and get cancer drugs in England?”

    Devolution is clearly just a half step. Yet again I feel I must point out the obvious solution: Welsh and Scottish independence. Except we need to make historical restitution for the injustices of Anglo-Saxon oppression. I suggest giving everything north of the East Midlands to Scotland except for Liverpool which can go to Wales.

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