Has devolution already divided the NHS?
Discussion
Someone I know injured themselves and went to an NHS hospital in England, when he gave his address in Wales they would only give him emergency treatment i.e. patched him up and told him to go a hospital in Wales to get it sorted out properly.
I am quite stunned by the attitude displayed, has anyone else experienced this sort of thing?
I am quite stunned by the attitude displayed, has anyone else experienced this sort of thing?
It predates devolution:
The NHS is actually four separate systems, now run in rather different ways.
The National Health Service Act 1948 established the NHS in England and Wales under the Secretary of State for Health. For Scotland, there was the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1948 that created a NHS in Scotland under the Secretary of State for Scotland. The old Parliament of Northern Ireland did their own thing (different name and it covers both health and social care).
A separate Welsh NHS was created in 1969 when responsibility passed to the Secretary of State for Wales.
I think English NHS trusts bordering Wales have had issues with Welsh people travelling to them (leaving aside those who are geographically closer to the English trust) for treatments not available in Wales, for example certain cancer drugs. But I doubt they'd explicitly turn someone away like that - perhaps they just told him to seek follow up appointments at home (the ones you have to attend days and weeks later)?
The NHS is actually four separate systems, now run in rather different ways.
The National Health Service Act 1948 established the NHS in England and Wales under the Secretary of State for Health. For Scotland, there was the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1948 that created a NHS in Scotland under the Secretary of State for Scotland. The old Parliament of Northern Ireland did their own thing (different name and it covers both health and social care).
A separate Welsh NHS was created in 1969 when responsibility passed to the Secretary of State for Wales.
I think English NHS trusts bordering Wales have had issues with Welsh people travelling to them (leaving aside those who are geographically closer to the English trust) for treatments not available in Wales, for example certain cancer drugs. But I doubt they'd explicitly turn someone away like that - perhaps they just told him to seek follow up appointments at home (the ones you have to attend days and weeks later)?
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