Hospital taxis patients to Wales

The hospital suffers from major staff shortages

A short-staffed hospital is planning to taxi patients from England to Wales to cut its waiting lists.

The Weston General Hospital in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, has a shortage of beds, doctors and nurses and an overflow of 170 patients.

Those on the waiting list have been offered the choice to cross the border to Bridgend in south Wales for instant treatment in private beds.

In a radical attempt to meet government guidelines, the hospital is paying £70 per taxi for the 180-mile round-trip.

The chief executive of the Weston area health trust, Roger Moyse, said the idea was about offering a choice for quicker treatment as well as meeting compulsory targets.

'Meet targets'

Mr Moyse said the costs of transport - taxis, minibuses and fuel costs - and surgery will all be covered by specially allocated government money.

"The general public wants to see shorter waiting times and we are trying to meet targets in the only way we can," he said.

"It's about offering the patients the opportunity to go to Wales for early treatment.

"We are not sending them and they can stay and be seen here on the waiting lists if they prefer."

Local Liberal Democrat MP Brian Cotter said he was "tremendously shocked" at the moves to transport patients to Wales and blamed political pressure to cut waiting lists.

"I am very concerned because the problem is of long-term under funding of the health service and the taxi fare is taking away much needed cash from the health service," he said.

Mr Moyse said an extension was being built to increase capacity and that they planned to bring in nurses from the Philippines to fill vacancies.