Number of people waiting for NHS treatment highest on record in Wales

Latest figures show that around 593,000 patients were on a treatment waiting list in July - an increase of around 4,400 patients from June.

NHS waiting lists in Wales have hit a new record high, according to the latest figures published today (Thursday).

The number of people waiting for NHS treatment in Wales is now around 593,000.

The Welsh Government said it is "disappointing" to see the new high, adding that it is due to the number of people joining the list, with two million contacts being made with the NHS in Wales each month.

Data shows that in July the number of patient pathways increased from around 754,300 to just under 757,400, the fifth consecutive increase and the highest figure on record.

The number of patient pathways is not the same as the number of individual patients because some people have multiple open pathways.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said it is important for people to "recognise their responsibility" to be fit for their operation.

The longest waits are continuing to fall and are now more than 60% lower than the peak which has been described as "encouraging" by the Welsh Government.

The number of people waiting longer than eight weeks for diagnostic services has also decreased.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Our hard-working NHS staff continue to operate amid high and increasing levels of demand.

"It’s disappointing to see overall waiting lists back to their highest levels on record and that is due to the number of people joining the waiting lists.

"But over the last 12 months waiting lists in Wales have only increased by 1.9% compared to 10.7% in England. Health boards are working hard to tackle the longest waits and the most urgent cases are always seen first.

"Demand for emergency care services remains high, and performance is stable and generally better than the same period in 2022.

"The average response time for the most urgent ambulance call (red) was seven minutes and 57 seconds which is under the 8 minute target but this is below the percentage set by the Welsh Government.

"Almost 70% of patients waited for less than 4 hours to be dealt with in Emergency Departments.

"We and health and social care partners are working hard to target improvements, particularly in respect of patient flow, ahead of the winter period.

"Despite the pressures on budgets, the Health Minister expects health boards to achieve the new targets for reducing the longest waits and we will continue to support them to achieve that."

The Welsh Conservatives have accused the Welsh Government of "slow progress" on addressing the number of patients waiting more than two years for treatment.

Shadow Health Minister, Russell George MS. said: “Progress is not a word I would use to describe the incredibly lacklustre reduction in two-year waits in our Labour-run Welsh NHS which still stand at over 27,000 – 100 times more than Conservative-run England’s 277.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan is due to appear in font of the Senedd's Health Committee later today.

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