Labour points to “real progress” on treatment backlogs as surgeons and Conservatives warn the next Welsh Government still faces a huge task

WELSH LABOUR leader and First Minister Eluned Morgan has claimed “real progress” is being made on NHS waiting times in Wales after new figures showed the treatment backlog fell for the ninth month in a row.

Latest NHS data published on Thursday (Apr 23) showed there were 687,958 referral-to-treatment pathways waiting to start treatment at the end of February, down from more than 713,000 in January. The average wait for treatment also fell to 16.7 weeks.

In a statement issued by Welsh Labour, Morgan said: “Nine months in a row waiting lists have fallen in Wales, the biggest sustained drop on record. That’s real progress improving access to outpatient appointments and treatment across Wales driven by NHS staff.”

She said Welsh Labour had prioritised bringing down waiting lists and long waits, adding that the average wait had fallen from 23 weeks when she became First Minister to 16.7 weeks now.

Morgan also said the waiting list had dropped by around 70,000 in the past three months.

In a pointed political attack ahead of the Senedd election on Thursday, May 7, she criticised Plaid Cymru, saying: “Plaid say people shouldn’t expect change in 100 days. That tells you everything about their priorities. While they make excuses, we’re delivering.”

She added: “Only Welsh Labour has a plan to keep the waiting lists falling and only Welsh Labour can stop that progress being put at risk on May 7th.”

But while the overall waiting list has continued to fall, the wider NHS picture remains much more difficult.

A total of 105,559 patient pathways were still waiting more than a year for treatment in February, while 4,517 were waiting more than two years. Although both figures are significantly lower than they were a year earlier, they remain far above where ministers had hoped to be by now.

Cancer performance also remains well below target. Only 57 per cent of patients started cancer treatment within the 62-day target in February, unchanged on the previous month and still far short of the 75 per cent standard.

Emergency care pressures are also continuing to mount.

In March, only 64.2 per cent of patients spent less than four hours in emergency departments, well below the 95 per cent target. At the same time, 10,939 patients waited 12 hours or more in A&E, worse than the previous month.

Ambulance performance also slipped. The median response time for the most serious red calls was 9 minutes and 25 seconds in March, again missing the target and slightly worse than in February.

The latest figures prompted a warning from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, which said patients in Wales are still waiting too long for surgery and urged the next Welsh Government to act.

The College said recent improvements were welcome, but argued that progress remained too slow and too dependent on short-term fixes rather than long-term increases in NHS capacity.

Professor Jon Barry, Director in Wales at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “Behind today’s figures, the last before the Senedd election, are thousands of people still waiting for surgery, living with pain, uncertainty, and the risk that their condition will deteriorate.

“Progress has been made, but not at the pace patients need, and this is the challenge the next Welsh Government will face.

“Surgical hubs can help reduce cancellations and increase capacity, but only if there are enough trained staff to run them. Without a long-term workforce plan, patients will continue to face delays.

“Whoever forms the next Welsh Government must be ready to deliver real improvement on waiting times. Patients in Wales have been waiting far too long for an NHS they can rely on to help them get on with their lives.”

The College said Wales risked falling further behind the rest of the UK unless progress accelerates in expanding long-term surgical capacity, including more accredited surgical hubs and a credible workforce plan.

It also highlighted ongoing problems with access to operating theatres, saying many surgeons in Wales believe lack of theatre time remains a major barrier to reducing delays.

Welsh Conservatives seized on the latest figures, arguing they exposed a wider NHS failure despite the reduction in waiting lists.

Commenting on the data, Welsh Conservative health spokesman Peter Fox said: “After repeated promises to cut waiting lists, these latest figures lay bare Labour and Plaid’s record over the past 27 years; missed targets, broken promises and patients paying the price.

“Cancer waiting times are worsening, fewer patients are starting treatment on time, and there is no sign of improvement. Meanwhile, A&E delays and ambulance red call waits are getting worse, a clear sign the system is under growing pressure.

“The Welsh Conservatives have a credible plan to fix our NHS. We will declare a health emergency, increase the number of beds in our hospitals and create a Cancer Treatments Fund so that doctors can use the most innovative, life-saving treatments for cancer.”

Conservative figures comparing Wales with England also pointed to a stark difference in the number of very long waits. In February, Wales still had 4,517 pathways waiting more than two years, compared with 189 in England.

However, Labour will point to the fact that the overall treatment backlog in Wales is now at its lowest level for nearly three years, and that the longest waits have been cut sharply over the past 12 months.

Pressure on our emergency departments

Dr Rob Perry, RCEM Vice President for Wales said: “The data out today is deeply concerning – yet more record setting across all areas of performance for four, eight and 12 hour waits.  

“These numbers go some way in showcasing the pressure on our emergency departments despite ‘spring’ arriving.  

“On a spreadsheet, this data is just that. Figures. Numbers. But in real life, these are people. Patients who are enduring long waits in our corridors, and other inappropriate spaces that were never designed to deliver care in, for a decision around their care to be made.  

“And when that decision has been made, our patients are still enduring long waits until an elusive bed on a ward is found for them. That’s because our hospitals are so full, it takes time for a bed to become available for them. 

“Last month, RCEM published a report looking into the state of emergency care in this country, which contains a raft of recommendations for whoever forms the next government to act on. That includes making a national commitment to end overcrowding in EDs.  

“Our departments and the people working tirelessly in them to try and deliver the best possible care to our patients in these conditions, can only take so much. We can’t go on like this. It needs to be a political priority.” 

Election ahead

The latest figures are the last scheduled NHS performance release before voters go to the polls in the Senedd election.

They give Welsh Labour evidence that planned care is moving in the right direction, but they also underline the scale of the challenge still facing hospitals, patients and the next Welsh Government.