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Health

‘Truly abysmal’ – Welsh NHS waiting list hits new record high

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THE LATEST NHS statistics paint a bleak picture of healthcare in Wales, with waiting lists reaching an unprecedented 802,268 patient pathways in November—marking the tenth consecutive month of increases. These figures have sparked widespread criticism, with opposition parties and healthcare charities lambasting the Welsh Labour Government for its handling of the crisis.

The latest figures have sparked widespread criticism of the Welsh Government (Pic: File)

Waiting lists and emergency care in decline

The 802,268 patient pathways recorded represent more than one in four of the Welsh population. Behind this staggering number lies a harsh reality for patients. The median waiting time has now climbed to 23 weeks, a stark contrast to the 14-week average in England. For those waiting more than two years for treatment, the figure has risen again to 24,361. This is a glaring failure considering Labour’s repeated promises to eliminate two-year waits by 2023 and 2024—targets that remain unmet.

Emergency departments also continue to struggle. The percentage of patients seen within four hours has dropped to 64.8%, well below the target of 95%. In December, 10,857 patients waited more than 12 hours for care, an 11% increase from the previous month. Only 47.6% of red calls, the most serious emergency cases, received an ambulance response within eight minutes in December.

Ambulances waiting to off load patients outside Withybush Hospital A&E in Haverfordwest (Pic: Herald)

Cancer treatment performance falls short

Cancer services are in an equally dire state. The performance against the critical 62-day target for starting cancer treatment has fallen to just 60.2%—far below the 75% benchmark. While Health Secretary Jeremy Miles highlights incremental progress, including a reduction in long waits for diagnostics and therapies, critics argue this is too little, too late.

James Evans MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, called the statistics “truly abysmal,” adding:
“People are dying unnecessarily across Wales. Families are losing loved ones prematurely, and NHS staff morale is plummeting. The Welsh Labour Government has broken the NHS and continues to fail those who depend on it.”

Welsh Government defends record

Defending the NHS – Jeremy Miles said more money had been made available (Image: File)

In response, Jeremy Miles pointed to recent funding increases and measures to address long waits. He highlighted a £50 million investment aimed at improving outpatient services and diagnostics, alongside a decline in delayed hospital discharges over the last four months.

“The health service in Wales continues to provide quality care to thousands of people every day, despite immense pressures from winter illnesses, including Covid-19 and flu,” said Mr Miles. “These figures do not yet reflect the impact of our latest investments, but I am confident that we will see improvements in the coming months.”

Charities demand action on cancer

There have been several protests against closure of services in Pembrokeshire (Pic Herald)

Cancer charities have voiced their frustration over the slow progress in improving treatment waiting times. Kate Seymour, Head of External Affairs at Macmillan Cancer Support, described the current state of cancer care as “woefully inadequate.” She criticized the lack of strong national leadership and urged the Welsh Government to implement the recommendations of Audit Wales’s recent report on cancer services.

“The latest data shows real people are facing agonizing delays, unsure if they have cancer or when their treatment will start,” said Ms Seymour. “People in Wales with cancer deserve better.”

Judi Rhys MBE, Chief Executive of Tenovus Cancer Care, echoed these concerns, describing the findings of the Audit Wales report as “deeply disappointing.” She highlighted the lack of progress on stubbornly long waiting times for certain cancer types, including gynaecological cancers.

Political fallout

There has been heated discussion in the Senedd over NHS service delivery (Image: File)

The political repercussions have been swift. Last week, the Welsh Conservatives tabled a motion in the Senedd, calling for the immediate implementation of Audit Wales’s ten recommendations to improve cancer services. The motion criticized the Welsh Labour Government for its failure to meet national performance targets since 2020 and accused it of undermining its own Cancer Improvement Plan through poor communication and unclear priorities.

Labour members, however, voted against the motion, prompting sharp criticism from James Evans MS, who called the vote “shameful.”

“The Welsh Labour Government has broken the NHS, is out of ideas, and is on its way out of office. We stand ready to fix Wales,” said Mr Evans.

The human cost

Some patients are saying that they have been in pain whilst awaiting operations (Pic: NHS)

For patients and families across Wales, these statistics are more than just numbers—they represent painful realities. Behind every delay is someone anxiously waiting for a diagnosis or treatment, often with life-altering implications.

One such patient, Rhian Davies from Newport, has been waiting over two years for a hip replacement. “The pain is unbearable, and it’s getting worse,” she said. “I can’t believe I’ve been left to wait this long. It feels like they’ve forgotten about us.”

As pressure mounts on the Welsh Labour Government, health experts and opposition parties are united in their call for urgent reform. Whether the latest investments and strategies will be enough to reverse the downward spiral remains to be seen. For now, the people of Wales continue to endure a healthcare crisis that shows little sign of abating.

Health

‘Postcode lottery’ concerns over fertility treatment

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COUPLES seeking fertility treatment in Wales face a postcode lottery in terms of access to services, a Senedd Member warned.

James Evans, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, said the eligibility criteria for NHS-funded fertility treatments varies across the country.

Mr Evans called for the Welsh Government to standardise the criteria to make sure everyone has equal access to treatment and provide people with greater choice.

He said: “There are notable differences in the fertility treatments offered across different health boards and patients often lack autonomy to choose their preferred treatment centre.”

Mr Evans raised the example of ICSI, a treatment for men with infertility, during health questions in the Senedd on February 12.

He said: “For those people with low sperm counts, that is the only way in which they can actually access fertility treatments but some centres don’t do that.”

Peter Fox cautioned that male infertility issues are often overlooked despite studies showing that male factors contribute to 30% to 50% of cases in Wales.

He added: “When males are diagnosed… they’re often left in the dark with no support offered to them because most of the treatment services are focused toward the women.

“A lot of those men are left feeling frustrated – they feel shame, they feel anger – because they don’t feel like they get the mental support needed to get through that time in their lives.”

Standing in for health secretary Jeremy Miles, who was ill, Sarah Murphy, the mental health minister, said one in six couples will struggle with infertility.

She explained that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority regulates the NHS and private sector, setting out the treatments and procedures available.

Raising commissioning policy on fertility services, Ms Murphy stressed: “I think it’s really important to emphasise, though, that this is a specialist service.

Labour MS Sarah Murphy speaking in the Senedd
Sarah Murphy, minister for mental health and wellbeing

“It is not something that is provided across every health board.”

Ms Murphy pointed to services provided in clinics in Cardiff and Swansea, adding: “I understand completely that there will be people out there where this is not ideal, I do.”

She told the Senedd: “There absolutely shouldn’t be any shame or stigma around this – it’s not as uncommon as maybe people think.”

Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor
Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymru’s shadow health secretary, warned of high levels of homelessness, mental health issues and financial insecurity among unpaid carers.

He said only 6% of unpaid carers were able to access personal needs assessments during 2024 despite a right to one being enshrined in Welsh law a decade ago.

Mr ap Gwynfor raised concerns about a “chronic lack of capacity” to conduct assessments, with councils facing spending pressures of £559m in 2025/26.

Dawn Bowden, the Welsh Government’s social care minister, recognised the picture, saying: “This is something that I hear consistently from unpaid carers … and carers’ organisations.”

Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney MS Dawn Bowden
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney MS Dawn Bowden

Ms Bowden added: “I want to reassure you, Mabon, that we know we are nowhere near where we need to be with this and this is very much a priority piece of work.”

Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams said one in three women will have an abortion in their lives as she criticised a lack of services within Wales despite warnings since 2018.

She told the Senedd that nowhere in Wales offers surgical termination beyond 16 weeks nor any type of abortion after 20 weeks.

Ms Williams said: “If a woman needs access to abortion services beyond this up to the legal limit of 24 weeks, they must travel out of Wales for treatment, usually to Liverpool or London.

Plaid Cymru's shadow social justice minister, Sioned Williams
Plaid Cymru’s shadow social justice minister, Sioned Williams

“Although abortions at later gestations account for only 2% of all abortions, the women who require them are some of society’s most vulnerable.”

Ms Murphy pointed to the ten-year women’s health plan, adding that she has sought to move the issue up the agenda with work on a specialist abortion service under way.

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Health

Ultra-processed foods ‘fuelling public health emergency’

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SENEDD Members warned of a public health emergency due to the dominance of ultra-processed food in people’s diets. 

Labour’s Jenny Rathbone led a debate on a cross-party motion which was co-submitted by the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru.

She told the Senedd: “The food industry spends billions promoting our disastrous diets and we have to use the power of community to fight back.”

Ms Rathbone warned: “There’s no time to lose. The ever-escalating diabetes epidemic is already devouring 17% of the NHS budget.

“The levels of malnutrition among hospital patients are prolonging patient stays, and the main driver of early death and chronic illness is not smoking but our obesogenic diets.”

The Conservatives’ Peter Fox introduced an ultimately unsuccessful bill on sustainable production and food security in 2021.

“We don’t need data to show that things are getting worse,” said Mr Fox, a farmer and former council leader. “It’s clearly evident all around us.

“We see growing levels of obesity across our population and, worryingly, a significant rise in childhood obesity leading to serious health-related issues, such as childhood diabetes.”

During the February 12 debate, Plaid Cŷmru’s Llyr Gruffydd warned that too many people in Wales struggle to access fresh, healthy and affordable food.

He urged ministers to make greater use of public procurement to improve food in schools, hospitals and care homes while supporting Welsh producers.

Labour’s Lee Waters broadly agreed, telling the Senedd that only about 6% of fruit and veg used by the Welsh public sector is grown in Wales.

He said: “What’s stopping us from supporting Welsh farmers and buying local? Well, we don’t grow enough veg for a start, so there’s an opportunity for farmers to embrace horticulture to create new sources of income.”

But the former minister stressed the need to influence the private sector, with the value of all public food procurement equivalent to the annual turnover of one big supermarket.

Warning of a public health emergency, Alun Davies, a fellow Labour backbencher, urged the Welsh Government to put food centre stage.

He said: “I think it’s no exaggeration to say that obesity is an absolute national emergency and it’s not a national emergency that is an act of God; it’s an act of capitalism.”

Huw Irranca-Davies said the Welsh Government’s community food strategy would be published as soon as possible as he pointed to spending on local food partnerships.

The Deputy First Minister, who is responsible for food policy, described the food sector as a real success story employing 228,000 people or 17% of Wales’s workforce.

Ms Rathbone argued the community food strategy will be insufficient, warning a lack of follow through and rigorous execution has left Wales a very pale imitation of Scotland.

She said: “France and Italy would never have allowed their children to be sold the second-class food that is being served in our schools today.

“And I want to see the commitment to actually ban ultra-processed food from all public procurement – that is what we need to work towards.

“We can’t achieve it overnight but we need to set a date and do it.”

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Health

Nursing applications rise but concerns remain over long-term decline

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RCN Wales calls for urgent action as Cardiff University faces cuts

THE NuMBER of applicants for nursing courses in Wales has risen by 14% this year, but the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warns that the longer-term decline remains a major concern.

Figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) show applications for 2025 nursing courses have increased from 3,050 to 3,480. However, since 2021, applications have fallen by 15%, down from 4,090.

Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales, welcomed the rise but warned that it does not reverse years of declining interest in the profession.

“This increase in applications is a positive step, but we remain deeply concerned about the long-term decline in nursing applicants in Wales,” she said. “The health care system is already under immense pressure, and without sustained investment in nursing education, we risk deepening the workforce crisis.”

Cardiff University nursing cuts ‘alarming’

Ms Whyley also criticised Cardiff University’s proposed closure of its School of Nursing, warning that it would have serious consequences for Wales’ health services.

“RCN Wales is alarmed by Cardiff University’s current proposals,” she said. “Any reduction in nursing education provision would have significant implications for the future workforce and the ability to meet health care needs across Wales. We urge Cardiff University and policymakers to prioritise investment in nursing education and ensure that opportunities for aspiring nurses are expanded rather than reduced.”

Need for more nursing education places

Despite steady commissioning figures for nurse education places in Wales, RCN Wales argues that numbers must be increased to match growing demand.

Ms Whyley added: “RCN Wales will continue to advocate for sustained investment in nursing education, ensuring that Wales has a well-supported, well-educated nursing workforce now and in the future. The RCN urges the Welsh government, universities, and health leaders to work together to secure the long-term sustainability of nursing education and protect the future of the profession.”

With thousands of nursing vacancies still unfilled across Wales, the RCN is calling for urgent action to ensure the next generation of nurses can be trained and supported in their careers.

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