First Minister announces extra £22 million to tackle NHS waiting lists in Wales

Sir Keir Starmer used his speech to praise the partnership between the two Labour Governments working together in both Wales and Westminster. Credit: PA

The First Minister has announced a further £22 million to tackle NHS waiting lists in Wales.

Eluned Morgan made the announcement at her first Welsh Labour conference as the party's leader on Saturday afternoon in Llandudno.

It comes after last month's announcement from Health Secretary Jeremy Miles of £28 million to help cut the longest waiting times.

The First Minister said she realised "more resources are needed" following her summer spent on a 'listening tour' around Wales.

Eluned Morgan also paid tribute to former first minister Vaughan Gething for his "incredible work" leading as Health Minister during the pandemic.

Commenting ahead of the First Minister’s speech, Andrew RT Davies MS, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, said: “Another bucket load of cash to bring NHS waiting times down in Wales.

“Waiting times which the First Minister said would be eliminated 18 months ago when she was Health Minister.

“So, to clean up her mess she now throws more money at a system she says has no ‘spare capacity’, yet Welsh pensioner’s will freeze this winter because of the Labour Party’s decision to scrap Winter Fuel payments to OAPs.”

Plaid Cymru’s spokesman on Health & Social Care, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, said: "While bringing down waiting lists should be a priority for any government, the absence of a plan on how to achieve this from the Labour party in Wales – beyond throwing more money at the problem – means many people in Wales will remain waiting far too long for NHS treatment.

“We need to know exactly how the Labour Government in Wales intends to bring down waiting lists, but the increase in patient pathways in Wales for 7 consecutive months suggests they don’t know themselves.

Meanwhile, Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens has announced that another £13 million pounds has been released to support steelworkers and businesses impacted by job cuts in Port Talbot after the closure of both blast furnaces there.It follows the £13.5 million pounds announced back in August to support supply chain businesses and retraining programmes. This latest funding, released by the Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board, will go towards grants to help people set up their own businesses, as well as supporting local businesses already in operation to grow and diversify.

The UK Government confirmed in October’s Autumn Budget that it had committed £80 million in total to the Transition Board fund, which supports workers and businesses affected by Tata Steel’s transition from traditional steelmaking to an electric arc furnace.

In his first address as Prime Minister to the conference, Sir Keir Starmer used his speech to praise the partnership between the two Labour Governments working together in both Wales and Westminster, calling it a “new era” of Labour Wales and Labour Britain “pulling in the same direction."

Sir Keir Starmer also went on to say he would defend Labour’s Budget “all day long” as farmers protested against inheritance tax changes outside the venue.

Andrew RT Davies MS said the Prime Minister and First Minister "don't get it."

He said: "They won't be happy until every farm is a woodland and all our food is lab grown - costing thousands of jobs and decimating rural Wales. Their ideological driven attack on our rural way of life must end."

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