Welsh NHS waiting list numbers hit record high for 2016
The Welsh Government has today released its latest data on referral to treatment waiting times, which shows that 434,928 people are now on a waiting list – more than at any other time this year.
Responding to these figures, Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary for Health, Angela Burns AM, said:
“This latest dataset shows that for the month of June more people are now on an NHS waiting list than at any other time this year – the number of which equates to a city larger than Manchester.
“Waiting lists are growing because under-resourced health services are struggling to cope with the growing demands of a society which is now sicker and unhealthier than ever before.
“Front-line NHS staff are under huge pressure and lack the capacity to make any meaningful changes to service delivery.
“The knock-on effect is that patients don’t receive the timely treatment they deserve. This then often leads to health issues going undiagnosed, untreated and allowed to progress unabated.
“The Labour-led Welsh Government must do all in its power to ensure that health services are adequately resourced to take on the staff and equipment needed to ensure that people can progress through the system as quickly and safely as possible.”
