News

The number of people waiting for NHS treatment in Wales ‘just keeps growing’

Published

3 years ago

October 20, 2022

HUNDREDS of thousands of patients across Wales are waiting to start NHS treatment.

New figures released today show that in August there was more than 750,000 patient pathways waiting to start treatment with around 589,000 individual patients on treatment waiting lists in Wales.

This is an increase of almost 3,500 patients from the previous month.

Figures released this week continue to show the pressure facing the Welsh Ambulance Service and emergency departments across Wales.

Throughout September the ambulance service 3,553 red (life threatening) calls – which is 10.2 per cent of all calls made.

This is an increase on the immediately life-threatening calls on the previous month.

50% of red calls received an emergency response within 8 minutes, 0.7 percentage points lower than the previous month and the joint lowest on record.

Commenting on today’s figures, Welsh Conservative and Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said: “The failure of the Labour Government to prepare for pandemic recovery continues to be felt by the people of Wales as they experience the longest treatment waiting lists, ambulance delays, and A&E waits in Britain.

“This failure to plan for the re-opening of hospitals has meant the delivery of healthcare is out of control – staff are doing their best to cope with demand but a lack of leadership from the centre has meant minister leaving the NHS totally adrift.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “Behind these figures are countless human tragedies. In every corner of the country people are frightened, suffering and waiting in pain because our NHS can no longer cope.

“Labour is letting the NHS fall to its knees and patients are paying the price. Wales routinely has the worse health figures in Britain despite all nations facing similar challenges. This cannot go on.

“The Government must come forward with a proper plan to bring down waiting times and recruit and retain more NHS staff. The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to call for greater investment in primary healthcare facilities, GPs and social care.

“We must prevent people from getting so ill they require either treatment in A&E or complex treatment paths if we are to reduce pressures on the system, this starts at ensuring people can access their GP easily. We also need to ensure patients can be discharged safely once their treatment is finished.”

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Progress continues to be made on the longest waits and we have seen a reduction in the number of patient pathways* waiting more than two years for treatment for the fifth month in a row. This is a fall of 16 per cent since the peak in March.

“Thousands of people are still being seen and treated by NHS Wales and there were more than 338,000 consultations carried out in August. We will continue to work with health boards on how we can best support them to meet our planned care targets.

“We saw slightly more people start their cancer treatment in August (1,691) than in the previous month. A total of 13,534 pathways were closed following the patient being informed they did not have cancer, an increase of more than 12% on the previous month and the highest level on record. A huge amount of work, focus, investment and service change is under way in reducing the number of people waiting for cancer treatment and the Health Minister recently met with health boards and trusts to hear their plans about how they are working to bring the waiting lists down.

“August also saw just over 93,000 patient pathways closed, a significant increase from the early stages of the pandemic and 27 per cent higher than for the same month in 2021.

“For diagnostic services, the number of patient pathways waiting decreased to just over 107,000 in August from 110,000 in July. For therapies, the number of patient pathways waiting decreased to just over 67,500 in August.

“Urgent and emergency care staff remain under intense pressure, and we are working with health and social care service leaders to support improvements. We acknowledge ambulance performance is not where we, NHS Wales nor the public expect it to be and we are driving a whole system response to support improvement. We expect health boards to take ownership and immediately reduce ambulance patient handover delays while working with social care services to improve timeliness of patient transfers home from hospital.

“Performance improved against the four-hour and twelve-hour standards and the average (median) time spent in emergency departments shortened slightly. September saw the best performance against the four-hour standard since January 2022 and this is testament to hard working emergency department staff given the ongoing system pressures.”

Health

Hywel Dda Optometric Team wins at the Optometry Wales Awards 2025

Published

2 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

HYWEL DDA UNIVERSITY HEALTH BOARD’S Optometric Team has been honoured with the Health Board Support Award at the Optometry Wales Awards 2025.

The award – sponsored by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) – was presented by BBC Wales broadcaster Lucy Owen during a ceremony held in Cardiff on 29 November 2025.

Organised by Optometry Wales, the awards celebrate outstanding achievement across the eye-care sector in Wales. They recognise individuals and teams whose work goes above and beyond through clinical excellence, innovation, sustainability, mentoring, and service development.

Recognising leadership and support during major reform

Hywel Dda’s Optometric Team received the award for its significant support to practices across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, and Pembrokeshire during the rollout of the new national Optometry contract.

Their nomination highlighted the team’s strong leadership through the transition period and their commitment to ensuring practices were fully equipped to deliver high-quality eye health services under the new contract.

A key part of this work was developing new clinical pathways to ensure more patients could be safely managed in primary care. These pathways have improved access to timely local care and reduced the need for hospital appointments, ensuring people receive the right care in the right place.

Over 13,300 community appointments delivered

Since January 2024, more than 13,300 appointments have taken place in community settings using these enhanced pathways. Previously, many of these cases would have required referral to the hospital eye service. Now, an average of only 13.9% of patients require hospital referral — a significant shift demonstrating the positive impact of strengthened community-based care.

The team has also played a central role in developing Optometry Collaboratives, bringing together local practices to share ideas, improve services, and meet the needs of the local population.

“A fantastic achievement”

Rachel Absalom, Head of Optometric Services at Hywel Dda UHB, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive this award. It reflects the dedication of our committed team and the strong relationships we have built with practices across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
“The new pathways have made a real difference for patients, enabling more care to take place closer to home, and we are grateful to our colleagues in primary care who have worked with us to make this possible.”

Professor Philip Kloer, Chief Executive, added: “This is a fantastic achievement and recognises the vital work of our Optometric Team in supporting the rollout of the new national contract. Their leadership has strengthened local services and helped patients receive care closer to home.
“I’m also delighted to see several independent practices from our region recognised on the night, which demonstrates the exceptionally high standards of care delivered across Hywel Dda.”

Six regional wins on the night

A total of six awards were won across the Hywel Dda region. They included:

Optometrist of the Year: Andy Britton (Specsavers Haverfordwest)
Independent Practice of the Year: MN Charlton (Concept Eye Clinic, Fishguard)
Dispensing / Contact Lens Optician of the Year: Samantha Houghton (Specsavers Haverfordwest)
Sustainability Practice of the Year: Specsavers Haverfordwest
Technology Practice of the Year: Specsavers Haverfordwest

Photo (left to right)

Lucy Owen (Presenter)
Sally Hodson (Optometric Advisor, HDUHB)
Rachel Absalom (Head of Optometric Services, HDUHB)
Hannah Rowlatt (External Engagement Officer, RNIB)
John Dixon (NHS Wales Engagement Manager, RNIB)
Jaynie Scourfield (Quality Assurance Manager – Primary Care, HDUHB)
Mary Owens (Head of Dental and Optometry, HDUHB)

Crime

Police appeal after digger stolen and attempted break-ins on Old Hakin Road

Published

16 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

DYFED-POWYS POLICE is urging farmers to be vigilant after a digger was stolen and an attempted burglary reported at rural properties off Old Hakin Road, Haverfordwest, in the early hours of Sunday (Dec 14).

Officers say a small digger was taken from a farm and driven around a mile from the scene before being abandoned nearby. A second incident was reported shortly afterwards, in which someone attempted to enter several vehicles and outbuildings at another address before leaving empty-handed.

Rural crime warning

Police have issued fresh crime-prevention advice to the farming community following the two reports, stressing the importance of securing boundaries, machinery and outbuildings.

Farmers are being urged to:

• Install and maintain fences, gates and warning signs.
• Use high-quality locks on barns, sheds and storage units.
• Keep keys to high-value equipment in a safe, secure location.
• Install security cameras in strategic places.
• Join or participate in Farm Watch schemes to share intelligence with neighbours and police.

Dyfed-Powys Police’s Rural Crime Team is also offering farm visits to help mark equipment and carry out security audits. These can be arranged by emailing [email protected].

Further advice on preventing rural crime is available at:
https://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rc/rural-crime/

Appeal for information

Enquiries are ongoing and police are asking anyone with information to contact them using any of the following methods:

🖥️ Online form: https://www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us-beta/contact-us/
📧 Email: [email protected]
💬 Direct message via social media
📞 Call 101

Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote reference 25001019854.

(Image of digger is for illustrative purposes only and may differ from the actual digger stolen.)

international news

Dyfed-Powys Police reassure communities after Bondi Beach mass shooting

Published

28 minutes ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Officers monitor local tensions following terror attack on Jewish event in Sydney

DYFED-POWYS POLICE have issued reassurances to communities across west Wales following the mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, where gunmen opened fire during a large Hanukkah celebration, killing numerous people and injuring many more.

The attack, which took place at the “Chanukah by the Sea” event attended by around 1,000 people, is being treated by Australian authorities as a terrorist incident targeting the Jewish community. One of the attackers was shot dead by police at the scene, while another was detained after being disarmed by a bystander.

In response, Dyfed-Powys Police said they are closely monitoring any local tensions and maintaining contact with community groups to offer reassurance.

A spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the events that have been reported from Australia, and our thoughts are with all those affected, particularly members of the Jewish community. We will continue to monitor any tensions in our area closely. Local teams will be engaging with different groups, businesses, and key individual networks throughout Dyfed-Powys to provide reassurance to the community.”

No specific threat identified in west Wales

The force has not announced any increase in patrols, but says that routine engagement with faith groups, schools, and community organisations will continue as part of their ongoing reassurance work.

Impact on local Jewish community

West Wales is home to small but longstanding Jewish communities who have previously worked with Dyfed-Powys Police on hate-crime awareness and safeguarding campaigns.

The force says it will continue dialogue with these groups in the coming days as international reactions to the Bondi Beach attack unfold.