Welsh and UK governments to collaborate on tackling NHS waiting lists

The Welsh and UK Governments say they will work together to improve the NHS both here and in England.

The announcement will come in a speech later today (Monday) by the Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool.

She’s expected to say that the UK Government will learn from NHS Wales on dentistry, while the Welsh Government will look to “best practice” in NHS England.

Healthcare is devolved which means that responsibility for the NHS in Wales is the responsibility of the Welsh Government led by Eluned Morgan. The NHS in England is the responsibility of the UK Government based in Westminster.

Last week figures showed that NHS waiting lists in Wales hit a record high, with around 593,000 people waiting for NHS treatment.

Opponents have long criticised Welsh Labour ministers for their handling of the health service here in Wales.

In 2023, the then Conservative UK Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, made a similar offer to work together, which was rejected as politically-motivated by Welsh politicians.

In contrast, the Welsh Secretary and the First Minister are hailing this new partnership as proof of the benefit of having Labour governments in Cardiff and Westminster.

They say that the UK Government “will draw inspiration from the work the Welsh Labour Government has done to improve access to NHS dentistry” while in return “the Welsh Government will benefit from best practice shared by NHS England.”

That could also include more cross-border collaboration.

When she speaks to her party’s conference in Liverpool later, Jo Stevens is expected to describe the partnership as “the beginning of a new way of working together that will help improve outcomes in both nations and deliver our missions.

“And it has only been possible because a changed Wales Office under Labour has a strong voice across government.”

First Minister Eluned Morgan said that “We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas and there’s lots we can learn from our closest neighbours and we have lots we can share with our colleagues in NHS England, where we have already made changes to our NHS.

“We are ready to harness the power of two Labour governments, with the same values and the same belief in our great National Health Service, working together to improve services for people on both sides of the border.”

For the Conservatives, the Shadow Welsh Secretary Lord Byron Davies said, “It was the Conservatives that devised this plan - but the Labour Welsh Government’s short-sightedness meant they lost interest in it.

“I’m pleased Labour ministers have finally seen the light in realising our plan is the most effective method for tackling Welsh NHS backlogs. This is certainly a step in the right direction but, Moving forward, we also need to see Labour ministers stop cutting the NHS to fund totally pointless schemes, like over £100 million on more politicians in the Welsh Parliament.”

Responding to the newly announced ‘partnership’, Plaid Cymru spokesperson for Health and Social Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS claimed it "lacked clarity"

"Plaid Cymru has consistently called for bold action to overhaul the NHS in Wales. We need to be investing properly in the preventative agenda to keep people out of hospital and harnessing technological innovations to bring care closer to home.

"We need radical action to tackle the deep-rooted issues of staff retention, investment and modernisation of the NHS estate, as well as securing a fair funding deal for Wales from Westminstertion, investment and modernisation"

The partnership could prove to be uncomfortable for Welsh Labour.

Speaking before the conference began, the Prime Minister, told ITV Cymru Wales that the Welsh NHS will have to reform to become ‘fit for the future’ , including looking at involving the private sector where that will help bring waiting lists down.

Welsh Labour has been opposed to using private firms, promising in its 2011 manifesto to “eliminate the use of private sector hospitals in Wales.”

The UK Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, has said that he’s willing to use the private sector in a “pragmatic” way to bring down waiting lists in England.

In his interview with me, Keir Starmer said that, “The principle that the NHS is a publicly funded service free at the point of views is absolutely key to me and we’re not going to alter that. But on occasions using the private sector to get down waiting lists? Yes, that's been going on a long time. We will do that to get waiting lists down.

“But the most important thing is that I think reform is hugely important for the health service wherever people, whether it's Wales or in England. And I think if we share and collaborate on that, we can ensure the health services, you know, not only as it were, back on its feet, but fit for the future.”

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