Copyright walesonline
The number of two year waits for treatment on the NHS in Wales has gone up again. Wales' First Minister has made eliminating the longest waits a central pledge yet the latest waiting times figures for Wales show that the number has risen again. The huge amount of time people are waiting for treatment in Wales means that thousands are l iving, and in some cases dying, in pain . If someone is waiting for more than two different treatments for over two years, they will be recorded on this list twice. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here In April, the number was 9,925, rising to 10,254 in May before a dramatic drop to 7,447 in June. Since then it has risen twice, to 8.005 in July and 8,703 in August. In England, just 168 cases were waiting more than 104 weeks. There are some caveats to be made between directly comparing the two figures between England and Wales, but there is clearly a vast difference between these figures. The Welsh Government, led by Eluned Morgan, has made the NHS a key priority. In June, health secretary Jeremy Miles had said there were three key targets for the administration. Wales' health secretary Jeremy Miles said the rise is in line with predictions over the summer months. However, he said the provisional data for September indicates a fall of around 15,000 in the overall waiting list and a "significant reduction in long waits". Powys, Swansea Bay, Hywel Dda, Cwm Taf Morgannwg and Aneurin Bevan health boards have either no two year waits or less than 1% of pathways waiting two years. Swansea Bay and Powys health boards also have no one-year waits for a first outpatient appointment and Hywel Dda has fewer than 1%. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Mr Miles said: "We are determined to ensure people have access to faster treatment and have plans to reduce long waiting times and provide more appointments, tests and treatment, by delivering services more effectively backed up with £120m of funding. “We are seeing the impact of this investment alongside the continued hard work of our dedicated NHS staff. We are on track with this work to cut the waiting list and the longest waits." Welsh Conservative spokesman for health, James Evans MS said: "It is completely unacceptable that patients are having to wait longer and that two-year waits are rising again despite the increased investment of taxpayers’ money into the Welsh NHS. "The Welsh Conservatives will always prioritise our frontline NHS staff and cutting those excessive waits. We will not waste money on more middle management, Welsh Government bureaucrats, or Labour and Plaid’s obsession with creating more politicians." He also commented on improvements to ambulance care as handover delays have fallen to their lowest level in more than four years. Overall, people are waiting less time in ambulances outside hospitals, with handover delays now at their lowest since July 2021. That has, the Welsh Government said, also meant response times have improved as a result – the average response time to reach people in the “amber” 999 category was 25 minutes faster in September. Mr Miles said: "We have targeted reducing ambulance patient handover times and I am pleased to see the results of this work as September saw the lowest ambulance hours lost since July 2021 – this needs to be sustained as we move into the challenging winter months." However, Unison has just said its members in Wales Ambulance Service will be balloted for action over their below-inflation pay award. If employees vote for industrial action, walkouts could take place in Wales as early as Christmas or during the busiest winter months for the NHS.
