More than 600,000 people are currently waiting for NHS treatment in Wales, according to a recent report by the Welsh Government. The data, released in July this year, reveals that there are approximately 619,200 individuals on treatment waiting lists in Wales, marking the highest figure on record. This number has been steadily increasing month on month for several months, highlighting the ongoing challenge of long waiting times within the NHS in Wales.
The report clarifies that while the figure represents individual patients, some individuals may be awaiting more than one type of treatment. This means that in August alone, there were nearly 800,200 patient pathways open in the NHS in Wales, indicating the number of treatments that these 619,200 individuals were awaiting. Long waiting lists have been a persistent issue for the NHS in Wales, exacerbated by disruptions in healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Welsh Government had set ambitious targets as part of a post-Covid recovery plan to eliminate two-year waiting lists by March 2023. However, this goal was not met, with two-year waits continuing to rise each month. The most recent data shows that nearly 24,200 pathways have been waiting for more than two years as of August, marking the fifth consecutive month of increase in this specific waiting list.
To address the challenge of long waiting times, the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Jeremy Miles, announced that the Welsh Government would allocate £28 million in funding to health boards to reduce the longest waits. This funding will support initiatives such as late evening and weekend appointments to expedite the treatment process. Mr. Miles highlighted that the additional funding would be sourced from the budget allocated to the NHS by the UK government.
The data also underscores the variability in NHS services concerning cancer treatments. Despite the Welsh Government’s target that at least 75% of cancer patients should commence treatment within 62 days of suspicion, the latest figures indicate that only 56.5% of patients began treatment within the specified timeframe in August. This recurrent trend of cancer treatment delays has persisted over the past year, with little improvement observed.
Moreover, the report sheds light on the issue of ambulance handover delays at accident and emergency departments. In September alone, approximately 21,000 hours of ambulance time were lost due to handover delays at hospital emergency departments. Tragically, a recent case in 2021 highlighted the dire consequences of such delays, where a man passed away after waiting nine and a half hours for an ambulance to arrive.
In response to these challenges, Jeremy Miles emphasised the importance of implementing strategies to enhance system flow and mitigate delays in patient care. The Welsh Government is working collaboratively with health boards and councils to share effective practices and address bottlenecks in the healthcare system. Efforts to improve services and reduce waiting times are ongoing, with a focus on providing timely and quality care to all patients in Wales.