Hospital treatment waiting lists in Wales have reached record highs, with 768,899 patient pathways listed in March, up nearly 6,400 from the previous month. The number of individual patients waiting, 599,100, is also a record. This includes patients awaiting multiple treatments after GP referrals. While there was an increase in patients waiting over a year, those waiting over two years have decreased. The Welsh government emphasised its commitment to reducing waiting times and improving NHS access.
A&E waiting times improved, but ambulance response times for life-threatening calls worsened. Cancer treatment waiting times showed the best performance in two years, with 60.5% of patients starting treatment within the 62-day target, still below the 75% goal. Long waits for first outpatient appointments continued to rise, with 61,100 people waiting over 12 months, despite a target set for December 2022.
Emergency waiting times saw 70.3% of patients treated within the four-hour target, an improvement, though comparisons with England showed Wales performing slightly worse for major A&E units. The average A&E wait decreased slightly. For consultant-led specialisms, nearly 143,300 patient pathways exceeded a year, representing 20.9% of Wales’ waiting list, significantly higher than England’s 4.1%. Additionally, over 20,600 patient pathways exceeded two years, a number that has been declining.
Conservative health spokesman Sam Rowlands criticised the figures, attributing them to Labour’s governance, while Plaid Cymru highlighted long-standing policy failures. Prof Jon Barry and Dr Rob Perry emphasised the need for continued efforts and better resource allocation to address the backlog and improve emergency services. The Welsh government acknowledged the busiest April on record for emergency departments, noting improvements in some performance metrics but highlighting ongoing issues with ambulance delays.
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.
