Hospital waiting times in Wales have continued to rise, reaching a new record in June with 791,511 patient pathways, representing 615,300 patients awaiting treatment. The number of those waiting over a year or even two years for treatment has also seen an increase. Monthly data from Digital Health and Care Wales indicates that the number of people waiting more than a year for their first outpatient appointment has increased by 5.5%, despite pandemic recovery targets aiming for no one to wait that long. This number now stands at 74,175, while the figure for those waiting more than a year for treatment has risen to nearly 160,000, the highest since November 2022. Additionally, there are 23,418 patient pathways with waits exceeding two years, marking the third consecutive monthly increase.
When comparing consultant-led specialisms between Wales and England, it is noted that 22.5% of patients in Wales have been waiting a year or more, compared to 4% in England. These statistics have prompted criticism, with Welsh Conservatives labelling the figures as “woeful” and accusing the Welsh government of failing to tackle the issue. Plaid Cymru has called for a “radical rethink” and suggested an independent investigation into NHS Wales’ performance, alongside more meaningful targets. Mabon ap Gwynfor, the party’s health spokesman, expressed frustration over the persistent challenge of addressing waiting times. The Royal College of Surgeons echoed these concerns, emphasising the need to prioritise boosting surgical capacity in Wales.
Despite the challenges, there have been some positive developments. The response time for the most urgent ambulance calls improved slightly in June, although it still fell short of the target. On average, red calls were responded to within eight minutes and 18 seconds, a slight decrease from the previous year. Handover delays also reached their lowest level in a year, though over 19,400 hours were still lost outside A&E units. A&E waiting times saw improvements, with 69.3% of patients waiting less than four hours. However, over 10,100 patients experienced waits exceeding 12 hours in emergency units. Comparatively, Wales’ performance in major A&E units has been slightly worse than England’s for the fifth consecutive month.
Cancer treatment times showed improvement as well, with 56.7% of patients beginning treatment within 62 days of a cancer suspicion, an increase from the previous two months. However, Health Secretary Mark Drakeford acknowledged that more work is needed from health boards to meet the national cancer target.
The Welsh NHS Confederation, representing health boards and hospital managers, pointed out that the figures do not fully reflect the broader system pressures, including those faced by GPs, community and mental health services, and social care. Over 1,500 patients who were medically fit to leave the hospital remain delayed due to difficulties in arranging assessments or care packages. Darren Hughes, the Confederation’s director, highlighted the ongoing challenge of discharging patients from hospitals and stressed the need for sustainable investment in social care to alleviate this issue.
While the statistics underline significant ongoing challenges, the incremental improvements in areas such as ambulance response times and cancer treatment offer some optimism for the future. The focus now shifts towards addressing these challenges with targeted efforts and continued support for the Welsh NHS.
One Health Group PLC (AQSE:OHGR) are a team of Consultant Surgeons and Healthcare managers working with the NHS to provide faster, local and expert care in Orthopaedics, Spinal, General Surgery and Gynaecology.
