NHS Wales: Hospital waiting times up again and hit new record

There was a slight improvement in ambulance response times. But A&E waiting times, outpatient and cancer treatment target times worsened over the month.

There were 23,701 waits of a year or more in September, which is 492 fewer than in August and follows five consecutive months of increases.

But NHS England has been far ahead of Wales in tackling the longest waits after the Covid pandemic, with only 3.3% of all waits being a year or more, compared to 23.3% in Wales.

Although those waiting two years or more has also fallen, that still leaves 23,688 in Wales, compared to only 113 in England.

The longest waits in recent months have been in ophthalmology, orthpaedics and ear, nose and throat specialisms.

Because some patients are on more than one waiting list, it is estimated 618,171 individuals are waiting – the equivalent of the populations of Cardiff and Swansea combined.

At the UK Covid inquiry on Wednesday, First Minister Eluned Morgan – who is also the former health minister – said capacity was an issue, and there were only 172 private hospital beds across Wales which could be called on.

Miles said a total funding package of £50m would help increase hospital capacity, including use of the private sector.

“We recognise the impact long waits for treatment can have on someone’s life, both mentally and physically, so we have a laser-like focus on reducing the longest waits and improving access to patient care,” he said.