 The number of outpatient appointments in Powys hospitals has increased |
A waiting time blitz by a mid Wales health board has led to a thousand more people than usual getting treatment in the last month. Powys Local Health Board has cut waiting lists in the county after setting up a new plan backed by �350,000 of funds from the Welsh Assembly.
The new scheme is designed to reduce waiting times to six months for outpatients and 12 months for inpatients and day cases compared to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) target times of 18 months for both categories.
The board has made its incision into waiting lists after identifying that patients could be referred to outpatient clinics in the county with shorter waits rather than booking appointments outside the area.
 |  This initiative may even be a model for other health boards in Wales  |
The board has also identified spare capacity and prices at alternative hospitals from those usually providing in-patient services.
The extra funding from the WAG has allowed the board to buy treatment for patients in hospitals for long waiters.
Effective treatment
As a result, 149 inpatients have received treatment with 779 outpatients seen so far.
A further 240 people have been removed from the waiting list because they no longer need treatment.
Andy Williams, chief executive of Powys Local Health Board, said the scheme had come about because of a commitment to make the most of the county's network of 10 community hospitals and clinics.
"We do not have our own district general hospitals in Powys and, therefore, need to refer patients to these hospitals in other parts of Wales or England.
"But we noticed that some patients being sent elsewhere could be treated effectively closer to home.
"We have increased the number of outpatient appointments and day case surgery in Powys hospitals."
One initiative has been to make more use of our existing theatre capacity at Brecon and Llandrindod Wells.
"Eventually, all cataract operations will be carried out in our own hospitals," added Mr Williams.
Montgomeryshire MP, Lembit Opik said the new scheme would improve the quality of health provision for people in Powys.
"This initiative may even be a model for other health boards in Wales," he said.
"There's a good chance this will resolve the core waiting time problem which has troubled those in need of medical attention for the last year.
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