FOREST MP Mark Harper has taken the cause of Foresters hit by Welsh Government health policies to ministers in London.

Mr Harper met with Anna Soubry, the Minister for Public Health, and Welsh Secretary David Jones to discuss a policy which, it has been claimed, prevents Welsh-registered GPs from sending patients living in Gloucestershire to English hospitals.

The move has been welcomed by patients' group Action4OurCare who say discussions must start immediately between the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and the Aneurin Bevan Health Board.

The Welsh Government says since the introduction of the policy, the majority of referrals for English residents have been approved.

Many people living along the border are with practices registered in Chepstow which come under the jurisdiction of the Aneurin Bevan Health Board.

There have been complaints that Gloucestershire residents have been sent to places such as Swansea and Abergavenny instead of Bristol and Gloucester.

Mr Harper said: "The Aneurin Bevan Health Board, recently implemented a policy in line with Welsh Assembly Government policy that prevents Welsh-registered GPs from referring patients to hospitals in England.

"This is of course the right of the democratically elected Welsh Assembly Government when providing care for their electorate in Wales.

"As a consequence of this action, patients from Gloucestershire registered with Welsh GPs are having their choice of care taken away, and are being forced to receive treatment at hospitals in Wales.

"This could result in them facing increased waiting times and poorer quality services as a result, due to them no longer being allowed to choose the best quality service available.

  "I recently had a very positive meeting regarding Cross-Border Healthcare with Anna Soubry MP, the Minister for Public Health, and David Jones MP, the Secretary of State for Wales.

  "This is an issue that affects a large number of my constituents who live near the Welsh border, and are registered with GPs surgeries registered with the Welsh NHS.

"Both the Minister and the Secretary of State for Wales were deeply sympathetic towards my constituents in the Forest of Dean, and concerned about the situation they find themselves in.

 "The Minister is investigating why we have ended up in the unacceptable situation that we are currently in, and wants to find a way to make sure that people in the Forest of Dean, and indeed up and down the border, are able to get the choice and standard of healthcare that they have a right to expect."

Pam Plummer of Action4OurCare said: "NHS England, should enable the Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group, who are legally responsible for the provision of our health care, to start discussions immediately with the Aneurin Bevan Health Board, to establish equal choice for all Gloucestershire residents."

A spokesman for Welsh health minister Mark Drakeford said the government in Cardiff had made it clear that health boards were responsible for securing high-quality and safe care as close to a patient's home as possible.

"Where they feel the patient's circumstances and clinical need justify this, health boards do have the flexibility to refer patients outside the area.

"Aneurin Bevan Health Board has confirmed that the majority of referrals received on behalf of English residents since the policy has been in place have been approved.

"The health board has confirmed it would review its out of area policy after six months. This will be carried out shortly."