As Wales approaches the Senedd election on 7 May 2026, NHS waiting lists, struggling emergency services, and poor health outcomes continue to dominate headlines. After a quarter-century of Welsh Labour leadership, questions are mounting over whether the current government has the answers to the country’s deepening health crisis.
A Long Line of Labour Health Ministers – But Problems Persist
Since the start of devolution in 1999, every Welsh Health Minister has been from Welsh Labour. Despite changes in leadership and promises of reform, the NHS in Wales continues to face some of the longest waiting times and worst health inequalities in the UK.
| Name | Term of Office | Title(s) Held | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jane Hutt | May 1999 – Sep 2005 | Minister for Health and Social Services | Welsh Labour |
| Brian Gibbons | Sep 2005 – May 2007 | Minister for Health and Social Services | Welsh Labour |
| Edwina Hart | May 2007 – May 2011 | Minister for Health and Social Services | Welsh Labour |
| Lesley Griffiths | May 2011 – Mar 2013 | Minister for Health and Social Services | Welsh Labour |
| Mark Drakeford | Mar 2013 – May 2016 | Minister for Health and Social Services | Welsh Labour |
| Vaughan Gething | May 2016 – May 2021 | Cabinet Secretary/Minister for Health | Welsh Labour |
| Eluned Morgan | May 2021 – Mar 2024 | Minister for Health and Social Services | Welsh Labour |
| Eluned Morgan | Mar 2024 – Aug 2024 | Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care | Welsh Labour |
| Mark Drakeford | Aug 2024 – Sep 2024 (Interim) | Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care | Welsh Labour |
| Jeremy Miles | Sep 2024 – Present | Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care | Welsh Labour |
Despite different names and titles, the problems remain the same — long waiting lists, missed targets, and worsening health inequalities, especially in South Wales’ most deprived areas.
The Numbers Behind the Crisis
- 789,929 treatment pathways remain open in Wales — meaning nearly 1 in 4 people are waiting for NHS care.
- Two-year waits for treatment have surged to 9,600 patients, compared with only 171 in England.
- Only 50% of the most serious 999 calls receive an ambulance response within the eight-minute target time.
- A&E performance has dropped to 67.1% of patients seen within four hours (the target is 95%).
- Cancer treatment performance has fallen to 60.5% starting treatment within 62 days, far below the 75% target.
- The average wait for treatment in Wales is 22.5 weeks, compared to 13.3 weeks in England.
These figures tell a story of a healthcare system under strain — and for many, they raise questions about what has really changed since 1999.
Spotlight on the Valleys: Forgotten Communities?
South Wales Valleys communities like Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent, and Neath Port Talbot remain some of the unhealthiest areas in the UK:
- Around 10–11% of adults report poor health, among the worst figures nationally.
- Life expectancy in the Valleys is up to 12 years shorter in good health compared to the wealthiest Welsh areas.
- Industrial legacies (like chronic lung disease from coal mining), poverty, and limited healthcare access compound these problems.
In Rhondda Cynon Taf, the waiting times are particularly stark:
- First outpatient appointments can take 28 to 68+ weeks.
- NHS dentists are virtually non-existent, with many unable to find an NHS dental practice at all. A new “Dental Access Portal” was launched in 2025 — but for most, it simply puts them on another long waiting list.
Political Pressure Mounts for Change
Recently, the Welsh Conservatives called on the government to declare a health emergency, arguing that the NHS crisis deserves a response as urgent as the Covid-19 pandemic. They cited a senior coroner’s warning that systemic leadership action is urgently needed to prevent more avoidable deaths.
Labour — backed by Plaid Cymru — voted against declaring a health emergency. Critics say this is another missed opportunity to take decisive action.
A Chance for Change on 7 May 2026?
With the election looming, voters will decide whether 25 years of Labour stewardship has delivered on its promises — or whether it is time for a new approach.
The next Welsh Government will face tough questions:
- Can anyone finally get waiting lists down?
- Will people in places like the Valleys get fair access to healthcare?
- And how long will patients have to wait before politicians deliver the change they’ve promised for decades?
Conclusion: Time for Answers
After 25 years, the public may ask: “If not now, when?”
The Welsh NHS faces serious challenges, and nowhere feels this more than the Valleys. On 7 May 2026, voters across Wales will have the chance to demand a different future — one where the wait for care doesn’t last a lifetime.
Labour votes against Welsh Conservative calls for the declaration of a health emergency
The latest NHS statistics for Wales revealed NHS treatment waiting lists remain at 789,929 pathways, the equivalent of nearly 1-in-4 Welsh people.
Two-year NHS waits for treatment have risen again to 9,600 in Wales – an almost 15% rise from the previous month, compared with only 171 in England. The Labour Health Minister, now First Minister, Eluned Morgan promised to eliminate these waits for the last two years (by March 2023 and again by March 2024), but failed to meet these targets and still has not.
Just 50% of red calls (the most serious), received an emergency/ambulance response within the eight minute target time, down on the previous month.
The proportion of patients waiting less than four hours in Welsh emergency departments decreased to 67.1%, despite the target being 95%.
Performance against the 62-day target for patient starting cancer treatment has dropped 3% to 60.5%, well below the target of 75%.
The average (median) time patient pathways are waiting for treatment in Wales stands at 22.5 weeks, compared to 13.3 weeks in England.
The Welsh Labour Government continues to miss all of their own targets. Under Labour, propped up by Plaid Cymru, our NHS is broken.
In the Senedd today, the Welsh Conservatives called on the Welsh Government to declare a health emergency, to ensure sufficient resources and the entire apparatus of Government is focused on reducing waiting lists, given a Senior Coroner’s decision, in a recent Prevention of Future Deaths report to the First Minister, to cite the Chief Executive of NHS Wales’ calls for “a health and social care system leadership response… on a par to the Covid-19 response”.
Labour voted against the motion.
In 2019 the Welsh Labour Government declared a climate emergency. In 2021, a nature emergency was declared. It’s only right that a health emergency is declared.
Commenting after the debate, Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary for Health and Social Care, James Evans MS, said:
“Labour is proving in real time that their health strategy is failing abysmally, with progress is in reverse, and waiting list statistics getting worse.
“It’s clear that shovelling taxpayers’ money at the waiting list crisis isn’t enough. We need a whole-of-government approach.
“That’s why the Welsh Conservatives continue to call for a health emergency, to ensure that resources and the efforts of the whole Government are targeted at reducing these excessive waits.”
The motion, which was debated, reads:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Calls on the Welsh Government to declare a health emergency.
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