David Chadwick has urged the new Welsh Government to act “urgently” over cross-border NHS waiting times which he says are leaving Powys patients facing significantly longer delays for treatment.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, has written to the new Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor, calling for intervention in a policy affecting access to elective procedures and outpatient appointments in English hospitals.

Mr Chadwick, who has campaigned against the policy since it was proposed last year, warned that the policy has left some Powys residents waiting up to two years longer for treatment than patients living across the border in England, despite often using the same hospitals and services.

He said many communities in Powys depend on hospitals in England because they are geographically closer than hospitals elsewhere in Wales and that Powys has no district general hospital of its own. He argued that local residents are being unfairly disadvantaged purely because they live on the Welsh side of the border.

The issue has become an increasing concern for patients across Mid Wales, particularly in communities that rely on hospitals in Hereford, Shrewsbury and other border areas for routine and specialist care.

Mr Chadwick acknowledged the financial pressures facing health boards across Wales but said Powys patients should not be forced to endure longer waits and poorer access to care as a result. He also argued that the situation reflects wider pressures on Powys Teaching Health Board and longstanding concerns around Welsh Government funding for healthcare services.

Mr Chadwick is also seeking confirmation on whether the new Government will intervene directly with Powys Teaching Health Board scrap the policy.

Mr Chadwick said: “Many communities in Powys rely on hospitals across the border because they are geographically much closer than hospitals elsewhere in Wales. It cannot be right that local residents are forced to wait significantly longer for treatment simply because they live on the Welsh side of the border.

“People are suffering unnecessary delays, additional pain and avoidable anxiety while waiting for care. The Welsh Government must now step in urgently to ensure Powys patients are treated fairly.

“Cross-border healthcare is a necessity for many people in Powys, not a luxury. Patients deserve equal access to timely treatment regardless of which side of the border they live on. Myself and my colleague in the Senedd, Jane Dodds, will continue to fight against this cruel policy.”