NHS waiting list rises for first time in 10 months as Welsh Government unveils £145m recovery package

Mark Mansfield

The number of people waiting for NHS treatment in Wales has risen for the first time in 10 months, with more than 680,000 treatment pathways now open and a significant increase in the number of patients facing the longest waits.

New figures published on Thursday show there were 680,003 referral-to-treatment pathways waiting to start treatment at the end of April, around 13,300 more than in March and the first increase following ten consecutive monthly falls.

The number of pathways waiting more than two years for treatment rose by 42.7% during the month to 3,694, while more than 12,900 pathways had been waiting over a year for a first outpatient appointment.

Emergency department performance also deteriorated in May, with 11,066 patients waiting 12 hours or more before being admitted, discharged or transferred.

Cancer treatment performance worsened too, with just 56.7% of patients starting treatment within the 62-day target period, well below the Welsh Government target of 75%.

The figures were released as Health and Care Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor announced a £145 million package aimed at reducing waiting times and expanding NHS capacity.

The funding includes £100 million to tackle waiting lists and waiting times, £25 million for new surgical and diagnostic hubs and £20 million for essential maintenance across the NHS estate.

Mr ap Gwynfor said the latest figures related to a period before the new Welsh Government took office but acknowledged that performance remained below expectations.

He said: “Today’s statistics show again there are too many people waiting too long for treatment. I am also disappointed that emergency care performance is not yet at the level patients and staff rightly expect, and we are clear that faster improvement is required from health boards and partners.

“Our focus is clear – cut waiting times, prioritise those who have been waiting the longest, improve access to services and build an NHS that can keep up with demand in the long term.”

The minister said the previous Welsh Government’s waiting list funding had been time-limited and focused on purchasing additional activity rather than strengthening long-term NHS capacity.

He added: “To bring waiting times down and keep them down, we need to change the way the NHS works – making sure patients move through the system more smoothly, from their first referral all the way to treatment.

“We’ve got a plan to do this, working with the fantastic NHS staff right across Wales. The £145 million we’re announcing today will be important in tackling the waiting list and waiting times and helping people be seen quicker.”

Concern

The figures also prompted renewed concern from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, which said more than one in six patients attending major emergency departments in Wales last month waited longer than 12 hours.

The college said 12-hour waits were slightly worse than a year ago and around four times higher than they were a decade ago.

Dr Rob Perry, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Wales, said: “The impact of long waits on patients, particularly older people and the acutely sick or injured, can be dire – and even life-threatening.

“This can’t continue and the long-term neglect of the Emergency Care system in Wales is taking its toll on the people it is there to serve.

“And, on the other side, working in such conditions is taking its toll on us – the EM staff who have to look patients in the eyes, when we know they are being let down. It’s heartbreaking.”

Dr Perry added:”We need urgent action; we need to know what plans the new Plaid Cymru government have to tackle patient flow in our hospitals. Getting this right will save lives.

“The government should consider how best to tackle the root causes of overcrowding in our departments – such as delayed discharges.”

Backslide

The Welsh Conservatives Shadow Health Minister Natasha Asghar said: “These figures show a worrying backslide in NHS performance in Wales. Cancer treatment times have fallen, waiting lists have risen, two-year waits are up and more patients are being left waiting over 12 hours in emergency departments.

“Whilst any extra funding for the NHS is welcome, £145 million will not be enough unless it is accompanied by urgent reform, a comprehensive workforce strategy and real delivery for patients.”