NHS Wales waiting list falls for seventh month

The number of people waiting for NHS treatment in Wales has fallen to its lowest level in almost three years, according to the latest official statistics.

Figures for December show the overall waiting list decreased for the seventh consecutive month, while the longest waits continued to drop sharply.

Data released by the Welsh Government show there were just under 741,000 referral-to-treatment (RTT) patient pathways waiting to start treatment at the end of December — a fall of around 16,900 compared with November. This is the lowest total since March 2023.

The number of pathways does not equate directly to the number of individual patients, as some people are awaiting more than one procedure.

Management information suggests there were approximately 580,300 individual patients on treatment waiting lists.

Long waits also continued to decline. Just under 5,300 pathways were waiting more than two years for treatment in December — down by around 1,600 from November and 92.5% lower than the peak recorded in March 2022.

The average waiting time for treatment fell slightly to 19 weeks, 0.2 weeks shorter than the previous month.

First Minister Eluned Morgan welcomed the latest figures, describing them as evidence of sustained progress.

“Seven months of the waiting list falling. The longest waits down by more than 90% from their peak. Tens of thousands more outpatient appointments delivered. This is real progress that’s making a massive difference to people’s lives,” she said.

“I made a commitment to the people of Wales to cut the waiting list and the longest waits. That’s exactly what is happening.”

“These aren’t just numbers – they are real people having treatment in Welsh hospitals and clinics from hard working and dedicated NHS staff. What they do matters enormously.”

She said maintaining momentum remained essential.

“It’s important this momentum is kept up. We will continue to work hard every day alongside the NHS so everyone who needs it receives timely treatment.”

Diagnostics pressures 

Despite reductions in treatment waits, pressures remain in diagnostic services.

The number of diagnostic patient pathways increased to just over 137,300 in December, the highest level on record. The number waiting longer than the eight-week target maximum rose to around 46,800.

Therapy waiting pathways decreased overall to just under 54,900, although the number waiting longer than 14 weeks increased.

Emergency department attendances in January averaged 2,853 per day, slightly higher than December.

Performance against the four-hour target improved month-on-month, while the number of patients waiting 12 hours or more increased.

The average time spent in emergency departments fell to 2 hours 54 minutes.

Ambulance response times showed mixed results. Median response times for purple calls (cardiac and respiratory arrest) were within target at 7 minutes 8 seconds, while median response times for red emergency calls increased to 9 minutes 33 seconds, outside the six to eight-minute target.

Patient pathways

Responding to the figures, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and social care, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, said:

“There remains 741,000 on treatment waiting lists, and a record high figure of 137,300 diagnostic patient pathways – people in pain and waiting for treatment or answers for far too long, right under Labour’s watch.

“A Plaid Cymru government will act straight away with our dedicated plan, co-designed with clinicians, to tackle the vicious cycle of never ending waiting lists. By rolling out surgical hubs in communities across Wales, reorganising staff and using underused hospital spaces to do so, and making health boards work together better and share resources more effectively, so patients can be treated faster no matter where they live. These actions are part of our broader strategy to put the NHS back on a more sustainable footing.

“Labour’s mismanagement of the NHS has left patients paying the price, and has pushed staff to the brink. It’s time for new leadership, with credible, ambitious plans that only a Plaid Cymru Government can deliver.”

Reform UK Senedd Member James Evans MS also criticised the latest performance data, saying:

“NHS mismanagement, by Labour Ministers and their supporters in Plaid, is posing a serious risk to life.

“Ambulance waiting times are getting worse as Plaid and Labour’s budget deal sees cash splashed on making ambulances ‘greener’.

“Reform UK would cut waste and bureaucracy to ensure that taxpayers’ money reaches the front line of our NHS.”

The Welsh Government said provisional January data suggest further reductions in overall waiting pathways and one-year waits.

De-escalated

Meanwhile, in a written statement published today, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care Jeremy Miles confirmed that two Welsh health boards are being de-escalated under the NHS oversight framework.

In a written statement, he said: “The revised oversight and escalation framework published in July 2025 enables NHS organisations to be automatically de-escalated when they meet certain thresholds, and there is confidence there are robust plans in place to maintain this improvement.

“I can confirm Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and Hywel Dda University Health Board are today being de-escalated to level 1 (routine arrangements) because their cancer performance, against the 62-day target, has improved – and been maintained – over the past three months, in line with the de-escalation criteria they were set.

“I would like to thank the organisations and their clinical teams for their increased focus on improving timely access to cancer diagnosis and treatment. There is still more work to do to meet the all-Wales target, but these are solid foundations, on which I expect performance to continue to improve throughout the year.”