Cancer waits second worst on record as Welsh NHS waits increase again across the board
The latest Welsh NHS statistics revealed that for cancer services, performance decreased against the 62-day maximum wait target in June to 53.4% of patients being seen, compared to 54.1% the previous month, this is the second lowest percentage on record.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister, Russell George MS said:
“The extremely low rate of reduction in 2-year waits, which have been virtually eliminated elsewhere in the UK, is still unforgivably slow and is completely overshadowed by waits across the board in our Labour-run Welsh NHS worsening, especially given Labour’s abysmal record on cancer treatment.”
“I was particularly disappointed to see that despite a fall in footfall in emergency departments, 4-hour and 12-hour target waits for A&E have worsened. With Labour promising to cut the health budget in Wales for the second time in one year, the situation is set to decline further.
“The Welsh Conservatives have long been calling for a more rapid roll out surgical hubs and diagnostic centres to get on top of this backlog and to replicate Rishi Sunak’s plan to boost the workforce. We need to prioritise protecting the health budget, not wasting taxpayers’ cash on rolling out 20mph zones and sending more politicians to Cardiff Bay as Labour are doing.”
Overall waits for treatment in the Welsh NHS in June were 754,275 – up again from 748,395 in May.
