CONTROL of the NHS in Wales should be taken away from the Welsh Government, Monmouth MP David Davies has said.

He made the call during a debate in the House of Commons on access to NHS services.

Comparing the NHS in England and Wales, Mr Davies condemned what he described as longer hospital waiting lists and "lack of a cancer drugs fund" in Wales.

“Ideally, I would like to see power taken away from the Welsh Government because it has simply made such a mess of the NHS in Wales,” claimed the Conservative MP about the Labour-led administration in Cardiff Bay.

“Failing that, we should allow Welsh patients the right to be treated in England if they wish. We now have a situation where one in seven of the population in Wales is on a waiting list.

"I do not blame NHS staff. The fault lies squarely with the Welsh Government who have cut funding by eight per cent in real terms and politicised many of the health boards.”

During last Wednesday’s debate (October 15), Mr Davies slammed what he described as poor ambulance response times and missed A&E targets since 2009.

He also questioned the Welsh Government’s commitment to cooperate with an international report into the performance of the NHS in the four home nations.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) wants to undertake a comparative study and publish the results before next May’s general election.

“The coalition government are keen for that study to go ahead and are delighted with the opportunity to have themselves compared with Wales, and they should be,” said Mr Davies.

“But of course the reaction in the Welsh Assembly has been one of absolute horror. I am told by very reliable sources that the Welsh Government cancelled the visit by OECD officials because they were so desperate to try to ensure that no report comes out before the general election.”

As chairman of the Welsh Affairs Committee, Mr Davies is leading a parliamentary inquiry focusing on cross-border health arrangements between the English and Welsh healthcare systems.

The committee has launched a web forum for patients who rely on services on the other side of the border to share their experiences. It also wants to hear the views of medical professionals and social care practitioners.

The web forum is now live and will run until Monday, December 1 at www.parliament.uk/crossborder-healthcare

The Argus has contacted Welsh Government for a comment.