A SOLUTION that will give people living on the English side of the Wye but signed up to a Welsh-registered GP access to services they are legally entitled to is being held up because a leaflet drop has not taken place.

There has been a dispute because patients living in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire still cannot get full access to English NHS services although it has been established they are entitled to them.

A new referral assessment service will give patients full access to English services but first a leaflet explaining the change must be sent out by the Welsh NHS – with a covering letter from

the Gloucestershire Care Commissioning Group (GCCG) – and the budget transferred to the GCCG.

Pam Plummer, of

the Action4OurCare campaign, said: “These leaf­lets are collecting dust in a warehouse because the Welsh Government will not allow them to be issued.”

But she said the campaign is “nine-tenths there” and the leaflets will be issued in early May with the referral system going live in June.

A public meeting at St Briavels Pavilion on Saturday, which was attended by 180 people, was told the GCCG will be holding drop-in sessions in St Briavels, Sedbury and Tutshill to answer queries.

The meeting was attended by Forest MP Mark Harper who also read a message of support from South Herefordshire MP Jesse Norman.

There were also GPs from four surgeries with patients living in England and representatives of parish, district and county councils, Lydney Hospital and the Forest of Dean health forum.

Action4OurCare has drafted letters to English Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and the Minister for Health in Wales in case there is a delay and the group is asking patients to send them should there be more hold-ups.

Mrs Plummer said: “Key to further progress is the patient leaflets being actually posted and the budget being moved from NHS Wales to Gloucestershire Care Commissioning Group.

“Until these are absolutely confirmed, Action4OurCare will remain vigilant and we would ask all English-resident patients to do the same.”

The Welsh NHS says it is not delaying the change and is comitted to working with NHS England to resolve complex issues to allow an effective pilot project and seamless referral process.