Risks relating to emergency care, poor patient flow and access, HIW annual report
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) have released their annual report summarising all of their Welsh NHS inspections, with their findings outlining the sustained pressure on healthcare services across Wales, highlighting risks relating to emergency care, staffing concerns, poor patient flow and the accessibility of appointments.
The HIW report states: “Our work during this year did not find evidence of these [Welsh Government initiatives] making a clear and significant difference to services at the front line.”
Commenting on the report’s findings, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister, Russell George MS said:
“This report provides a damning assessment of 25 years of Labour mismanagement of our Welsh NHS. Wales has the longest waits for treatment in the UK and our lists are the longest on record. Crucially, HIW did not find evidence of Labour ministers making a positive difference in relieving front-line service pressures.
“What has not helped are Labour’s real terms cuts to our Welsh NHS in order to fund their vanity projects, like sending 36 more politicians to Cardiff Bay. I would suggest that Labour ministers are clearly distracted from what should be the number one priority, health.
“The Welsh Conservatives want to see the full Barnett consequential 20% uplift for health spent on our Welsh NHS and a substantial workforce plan with a tuition fee refund for healthcare workers at its heart.”
Chief Executive of HIW, Alun Jones said in response to the report: “… they [patients] were not satisfied with the long waits and difficulty in getting treated by services in a timely manner.”
Within Emergency Departments across Wales, HIW noted overcrowding, long waits for triage and long waits for treatment, plus ongoing delays in being admitted into the most appropriate beds.
HIW work within NHS acute hospitals highlighted the intense daily pressure in patient admission areas and on inpatient wards.
HIW work over this period has also shown that within General Practice and Dentistry, access to NHS services remains a matter of real concern to patients including the ability to source appointments and/or to be registered as a patient with either a GP or Dentist.
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales Annual Report 2022-2023
