THE issue of cross-border ambulance services has come into focus once again after a rather alarming case was brought to my attention by a constituent involving their relative.

She lives in Monmouth and was taken to The Grange University Hospital at Llanfrechfa by a West Midlands crew because it was the closest ambulance stationed to her at the time.

Upon arrival at The Grange, the ambulance was 18th in the queue and neither the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust nor Aneurin Bevan University Health Board had the resources to accept a handover.

The West Midlands ambulance ended up waiting for nine hours outside a Welsh hospital – and when the crew were due to finish their shift, another ambulance was sent from Hereford to take over the patient’s care while she waited for a bed at the hospital!

Even more surprisingly, I understand that if she had not been admitted within a further hour, yet another ambulance crew had planned to come from the West Midlands to The Grange as the Welsh Ambulance Service was still unable to assist.

While I appreciate the immense pressure on the service right now, this is a totally unacceptable situation. It not only highlights a lack of resources for residents in Monmouth, but I am concerned about the wider implication of ambulances from an English trust not being able to attend to emergencies in England because they are being held up at a Welsh hospital.

If this is the new norm to have ambulances travelling across the border to attend to patients in Wales, then the Welsh Ambulance Service has serious questions to answer.

I have contacted the chief executive to seek urgent clarification.

While I have the greatest respect for ambulance workers, the prospect of industrial action over Christmas is very worrying. The government has accepted the recommendations of an independent pay review body, giving pay rises in many cases higher than the private sector.

However, we simply cannot afford to pay what is being asked for by trade union leaders. It would increase inflation and fuel even greater demands. We must be realistic about the amount the country can afford during these difficult economic circumstances caused by the Covid pandemic and Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

I have been copied in on a letter from a resident in Abergavenny commending staff at The Grange University Hospital for their high standard of care. Quite right too. There has never been any criticism of NHS staff – we all know they do a tremendous job under difficult circumstances and the blame certainly does not rest with them.

We are being let down by those in charge and the real concern is the way in which the health service is being run in Wales.