Heart patients could face 300-mile round trip to Stoke for surgery

Officials said the option of going to Stoke would be discussed with patients before any decision was made

Heart patients could face a 300-mile round trip for treatment because of waiting times in south Wales.

Clinicians are in talks with Royal Stoke University Hospital about Cardiff and Vale University Health Board patients heading to the Midlands for surgery.

The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) is behind the cross-border discussions.

It said talks are in the early stages and "no decisions have been made".

A WHSSC spokesman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Suitable patients will be identified by their heart surgeon and cardiologist and the option discussed with patients before any decision is made.

"At this point, therefore, we are not able to confirm numbers as no decisions have been made and no patients contacted."

Stoke is 153 miles from the Welsh capital.

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WHSSC said it outsourced cardiac cases from Wales to Royal Stoke University Hospital in 2010 and 2015.

Dr Richard Skone, from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: "We are currently in preliminary discussions with Royal Stoke University Hospital regarding the option of transferring patients for cardiac surgery.

"Allowing patients access to treatment elsewhere is a measure we are taking to reduce waiting times. A full consultation will take place with a cardiologist and those patients who are identified as suitable. Patients will be able to choose if this is an option they wish to proceed with or not."

Stephen Allen, chief officer of South Glamorgan Community Health Council, said the CHC understood patients would have a choice over whether they were referred to Stoke.

He said: "We are aware that the NHS in Wales has been criticised in the past for patients waiting on cardiac waiting lists, and if Stoke has the capacity for these operations to take place, although it's a distance away, it makes sense to use this capacity for Welsh patients."

Mr Allen also said he understood family members would be able to travel to Stoke where they would be put up. This, Mr Allen said, would assist in a patient's recovery.

Meanwhile, a paper put before Swansea Bay University Health Board said Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital had agreed to take on cardiac cases from Swansea Bay and Cardiff and Vale.

But WHSSC said it was not currently planning to take up Liverpool's offer.

It said: "Swansea Bay UHB has developed robust plans to ensure that no patient will be waiting longer than 36 weeks for heart surgery by the end of March 2020, so at this point we are not seeking an outsourcing option for patients."