Wales and England to 'work together' to cut NHS waiting lists

The Welsh and UK governments have announced a new partnership in a bid to cut NHS waiting lists in England and Wales.

The announcement was made during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on Monday.

Wales's first minister Eluned Morgan last year rejected an offer from the Conservative government to treat some NHS patients from Wales in England.

Baroness Morgan, who was Wales's health minister and oversaw the NHS in the country, accused then health secretary Steve Barclay of a "cheap political stunt".

Health is a devolved area, which means responsibility for the NHS in Wales falls to the Welsh government in Cardiff.

Announcing the new deal along with Wales Secretary Jo Stevens, Baroness Morgan said the Welsh government didn't have "a monopoly on good ideas".

The partnership's aim is to exchange "best practice" and address some of the "key challenges" facing the NHS in both countries.

An estimated 616,669 patients in Wales were waiting to begin treatment on the NHS in July - the highest on record.

The total number of treatments people were waiting for rose to 796,631 - another new record.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has previously told Sky News NHS waiting lists in England will need to be "millions lower" by the next general election in 2029.

Baroness Morgan was Wales's health minister from 2021 until she succeeded Vaughan Gething as first minister in August, after he quit only four months into the role.

Earlier this month, she announced Mr Gething's former leadership rival Jeremy Miles as the new Welsh health minister.

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The Welsh Conservatives have welcomed news of the partnership and said it was "long overdue".

They said last year's offer from the UK Conservative government was rejected for "party political reasons" and accused the Welsh government of "putting patients at risk".

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Plaid Cymru said the new cross-government partnership did not "offer the radical action required" to address issues within the Welsh NHS.

A party spokesperson added that the NHS in Wales needed "more than cosmetic collaboration with Westminster".