MP Jesse Norman is delighted that Health Minister Anna Soubry has ordered a review of access to NHS services for Herefordshire residents who live near the Welsh border. The Minister was responding to a specific debate on the issue secured in the House of Commons by Mr Norman.

Parliamentary questions tabled by Mr Norman have revealed that there are over 20,000 people living in England who are registered with GP practices in Wales. In Herefordshire alone, over 3,500 people are registered with Welsh GPs. It is Welsh Government policy that those registered with a Welsh GP must use Welsh NHS services. The result is that people in Herefordshire are being denied access to hospitals in England, and Hereford Hospital is suffering a reduction in patients from Wales, and the revenue they bring.

Jesse also took the opportunity to argue for a NHS funding formula that better reflects the costs of delivering healthcare in rural areas with ageing populations, such as Herefordshire.

Jesse said:?"I am delighted that the Minister has taken such a positive approach to this important issue. I have many constituents who are registered with Welsh GPs. Overwhelmingly, they want to have their hospital treatment in Hereford. The hospital is more accessible for them and their families and they have a legal right to be seen within 18 weeks. By contrast, waiting times in Wales regularly exceed 26 weeks."

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