2-year NHS waits still at over 30,000 in Wales
The latest Welsh NHS statistics revealed that since the Labour Government missed their performance target of eliminating two-year waits in most specialities by March, they have made almost no progress in eliminating two-year waits at the end of April.
31,481 are still waiting over two years to receive treatment as of the end of April. A reduction of only 245 since March – the lowest monthly reduction in 2-year waits since their peak in March 2022.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister, Russell George MS said:
“In the last month, despite repeated promises by the Labour Health Minister that inhuman 2-year waits for treatment would be eliminated by March, these unacceptable waiting times are still a unique phenomenon in our Welsh NHS.
“The numbers have stagnated, with the lowest monthly reduction in 2-year waits for a year. I am disappointed to see so little progress being made to bring relief to patients being left in limbo for years. In fact, the overall numbers of patients waiting for treatment are up by over 10,000, meaning nearly 1-in-4 are still on a waiting list here in Wales.
“It can’t be right that in England that 2-year waits have been virtually eliminated and that there are nearly three times as many people waiting two years in Wales than there are people waiting 18 months in England, despite England having 18 times our population.
“The Labour-run Welsh NHS is in dire straits, any progress the Labour Health Minister could have claimed has come to a screeching halt. It’s no wonder, given Welsh Conservative calls to rapidly roll out surgical hubs, as was done in England to get on top of this backlog, have fallen on deaf ears because Labour like to do things differently for the sake of it.”
