Controls against list inflation appear effective, but some duplicates and deceased records remained

GP practice patient lists in Wales are in “good health overall”, with no immediate evidence of fraud found in a new data-matching exercise carried out with NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP), according to Audit Wales.

The pilot focused on two areas that can affect the accuracy of practice lists and, by extension, the way practices are funded: duplicate patient registrations and deceased individuals not being removed in a timely manner.

Audit Wales said the payment system for GP practices is complex, but patient numbers sit at the heart of it — creating an inherent risk that inflated lists could lead to incorrect payments. Accurate lists also support wider primary care management, including ensuring patients receive timely invitations for services such as screening and preventing people who should not be registered from blocking appointment invitations.

While auditors found no immediate evidence of fraud in the areas examined, a small number of errors were identified.

The exercise found 140 duplicate registrations to date, with a further 395 potential matches still under investigation. It also identified 15 cases where deceased individuals remained on GP patient lists, with some left on the lists for a significant period.

Audit Wales said these issues meant some GP funding had been allocated inaccurately, but the amount involved was low.

The findings suggest patient list inflation controls are generally sound in the areas covered by the pilot, though NWSSP is working to strengthen its central controls. Audit Wales also noted recent wider IT system changes affecting England, Wales and the Isle of Man.

Auditor General for Wales Adrian Crompton said data matching and other analytic techniques are becoming increasingly important as public bodies tackle risks around fraud and error.

He said: “The results from this exercise have not identified significant concerns about the accuracy of GP patient lists and that is a good thing. But there is no room for complacency. I therefore welcome the way in which NWSSP has taken forward learning from this exercise as part of wider improvements it has already made.”

The pilot compared certain personal details for permanently registered adult patients across GP lists in Wales and against UK Government death registration records. It identified just over 7,000 potential matches from around 2.7 million records processed, with most of the matches investigated by NWSSP found to be explainable false positives.

Audit Wales said the Auditor General is the independent statutory external auditor of the devolved Welsh public sector, responsible for the annual audit of the majority of public money spent in Wales.

New polling suggests more than one in four people in Wales have seen care delivered in corridors

ONE year after the Royal College of Nursing published a landmark report on “corridor care”, the union has warned that patients and staff in Wales are still being failed by what it describes as unsafe and undignified treatment in non-clinical spaces.

Corridor care refers to patients being treated outside proper ward or treatment areas, including corridors, waiting rooms and other spaces not designed for medical care. Nursing leaders say this can affect patient privacy and dignity, and may create safety risks where staff are working in crowded environments without appropriate equipment or monitoring.

RCN Wales said new UK-wide polling carried out by YouGov indicates the practice remains widespread. Of the 125 people surveyed in Wales, 28 per cent said they had witnessed NHS care being delivered in non-medical spaces such as corridors in the last six months.

Across the UK as a whole, 18 per cent of respondents reported witnessing care delivered in such settings.

The RCN said its analysis suggests an even higher figure among those who had recently accessed NHS services in Wales for themselves or a loved one, claiming 58 per cent said they had experienced or witnessed care delivered in a corridor or other inappropriate setting.

The union said the findings match what nursing staff have been reporting from inside Welsh hospitals. In a survey carried out by RCN Wales in 2025, almost two thirds of members working in NHS Wales hospitals said corridor care was a problem where they work.

One nurse working on an NHS mental health ward in Wales described corridor care as a regular occurrence, warning that staff were forced to provide care in unsafe environments, including corridors where fittings and objects may increase risk for vulnerable patients.

A frontline nurse responding to the RCN survey said: “Emergency departments are no longer able to function and we are causing harm to patients. Corridor care must stop.”

RCN Wales said the practice has become normalised, leaving staff distressed and demoralised, and making it harder to deliver safe care.

RCN Wales Associate Director of Nursing for Employment Relations, Nicky Hughes said: “Corridor care is not an inevitable consequence of winter pressures or staff shortages. It’s a symptom of a system that has been allowed to drift into crisis.

“Our members told us clearly last year that corridor care had become widespread and entrenched in NHS Wales, and the latest UK-wide polling shows that nothing has improved.

“Nursing staff are doing everything they can, but they cannot deliver safe and dignified care in corridors, waiting rooms or storage spaces. Patients deserve better, and so do the professionals who care for them.”

The RCN is calling for what it described as a fully funded plan to eliminate corridor care, including investment in inpatient beds, the nursing workforce, community services and social care, to reduce pressure on hospitals and prevent patients being left without appropriate treatment.

The Welsh Government and NHS Wales were asked to comment.

Polling details

The YouGov survey questioned 2,150 UK adults online between Saturday, January 4 and Sunday, January 5, 2026. The total sample included 125 respondents in Wales. The figures were weighted to be representative of UK adults aged 18 and over.

If you want, paste me any Welsh Government / NHS Wales reply (even a short emailed line), and I’ll drop it into the right paragraph so the balance reads naturally and doesn’t feel bolted on.

A PUBLIC consultation which could lead to the ending of an air quality management scheme in Pembroke and Haverfordwest, brought in after high levels of pollution were recorded back in 2012, has been backed.

At the Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet meeting of January 12, members were recommended to support a six-week public consultation on the proposal to revoke the Haverfordwest and Pembroke Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).

A report for members ahead of the meeting, presented by Cabinet Member for Planning & Regulatory Services Cllr Jacob Williams said: “In 2012, Pembrokeshire County Council identified that concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) were exceeding the national annual mean objective within certain areas of Pembroke (specifically along Main Street) and within sections of Haverfordwest’s main commercial streets.

“The elevated concentrations were attributed primarily to road traffic emissions, particularly in narrow streets where vehicle emissions were less effectively dispersed. Although the number of exceedances was limited, the council had a statutory duty under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to take action to achieve and maintain compliance with national air quality objectives.

“Consequently, as a precautionary measure, Pembrokeshire County Council formally designated these areas as Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs).”

It added: “To support the AQMA designations, a comprehensive local monitoring network was established, comprising 48 diffusion tube monitoring stations across both Haverfordwest and Pembroke. Each diffusion tube is tested and replaced on a monthly basis, providing a continuous dataset on ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) concentrations to track progress and assess the effectiveness of implemented measures.

“Over several years, measured NO₂ levels have shown a consistent downward trend, reflecting the effectiveness of local emission reduction measures and broader improvements in vehicle technology and fleet composition.”

It says monitoring over the last three years has shown levels to be below national objective and precautionary threshold levels, adding: “On the basis of this sustained compliance and the clear evidence of air quality improvement, Pembrokeshire County Council proposes to revoke both the Haverfordwest and Pembroke AQMAs.”

It stressed: “Although the statutory Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) designations for Haverfordwest and Pembroke have been proposed for revocation; Pembrokeshire County Council will continue to undertake air quality monitoring to ensure that standards are consistently maintained and that public health remains protected.”

Cllr Alistair Cameron said: “This is a good news story, it’s so important for people to breathe good quality air in Pembroke and Haverfordwest.”

He was joined by Leader Cllr Jon Harvey, who represents Pembroke St Mary North, who said: “Modern vehicles are less pollutive than previous ones, it’s a good news story.”