Health
Dial 999 only for medical emergencies plea following high call volumes
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THE WELSH Ambulance Service has issued a plea to the public, urging restraint in dialling 999 unless faced with a genuine emergency. Lee Brooks, the Executive Director of Operations for the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust, has implored citizens to reserve 999 for situations involving severe illness, injuries, or imminent threats to life.
From Boxing Day tto January 2, an astonishing 13,000 calls inundated the ambulance service on 999, accompanied by an additional 36,000 calls to the NHS 111 Wales service. Concurrently, the NHS 111 Wales website experienced over 116,000 visits, with more than 7,500 symptom checkers completed during the same period.
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Acknowledging the heightened demand exacerbated by seasonal illnesses, Mr. Brooks emphasised the strain placed on health services across Wales. He underscored the critical need for cooperation during periods of heightened hospital occupancy, where ambulances may face delays in admitting patients, leaving those in the community with non-life-threatening conditions waiting for assistance.
Mr. Brooks appealed, stating, “We’re working tirelessly as a collective system to provide optimal care to patients. However, we earnestly request the public, both today and in the coming days, to use 999 exclusively for severe medical emergencies.”
He clarified that only situations involving cessation of breathing, chest pain, breathing difficulties, loss of consciousness, choking, severe allergic reactions, catastrophic bleeding, or stroke symptoms should prompt a 999 call. For all other health concerns, he highlighted several alternatives:
- NHS 111 Wales Website: Seek health advice and information through the NHS 111 Wales website, utilising symptom checkers for a wide range of ailments.
- NHS 111 Wales Phone Line: Call NHS 111 for more urgent matters, ensuring prompt guidance.
- Local Pharmacy: Consult with pharmacists who can dispense prescribed medications and provide clinical advice for common ailments over the counter.
- Self-Transport to Hospital: If safe and appropriate, consider making your own way to the hospital for urgent needs, minimising potential wait times.
- Minor Injuries Unit: Visit the nearest Minor Injuries Unit for assistance with limb injuries, burns, bites, and stings.
- Weather Considerations: With ongoing weather warnings in Wales, avoid unnecessary risks, such as non-essential driving.
- Self-Care at Home: Practise self-care by collecting repeat prescriptions and ensuring a well-stocked first aid box.
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Mr. Brooks expressed gratitude to the public for their patience and extended appreciation to the dedicated staff and volunteers, acknowledging their unwavering commitment to caring for the people of Wales under challenging circumstances. He concluded, “We all rely on our NHS, and we are committed to making things better for our patients and our people.” As the service explores innovative approaches to future healthcare delivery, public cooperation remains pivotal.
Health
End the “undignified and disrespectful” hospital corridor care, Senedd Members demand
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SENEDD Members urged the Welsh Government to put an end to the “undignified and disrespectful” practice of corridor care in Welsh hospitals.
James Evans, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, warned corridor care has become the norm and the crisis can no longer be ignored.
He said: “A crisis where patients – mothers, fathers, grandparents – are left waiting in chairs for hours and sometimes days waiting for a bed.
“A crisis where ambulance crews spend hours parked outside hospitals and when they get inside they’re left waiting in corridors.
“A crisis where doctors and nurses, despite their dedication and tireless efforts, are being pushed beyond breaking point, describing their workplaces as war zones with patients placed everywhere. This is a national disgrace.”
Leading a Tory debate on February 19, Mr Evans raised a report by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) which warned corridor care is putting patients at risk in every part of Wales.
He told the Senedd: “If we’re serious about ending corridor care, we must also free up hospital capacity. We must pause the reduction in hospital beds and conduct a national review of NHS capacity.”
Mr Evans, who represents Brecon and Radnorshire, expressed concerns about social care being underfunded, understaffed and unable to take patients ready to leave hospital.
Urging ministers to accept the report’s recommendations, he highlighted the RCN’s calls for more clinical decision makers on weekends, district nurses and community care teams.
He said: “Corridor care should never be allowed to happen and we must never, ever tolerate it. This means making it a never event, something so unacceptable it must never happen.”
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His Plaid Cymru counterpart Mabon ap Gwynfor described the RCN report as painting a bleak picture of a health service that puts patients and staff at risk.
“The report reinforces what we have heard,” he said. “With heart-rending examples of patients dying in their chairs in a hospital corridor while waiting for treatment.
“It’s a totally undignified and disrespectful way of treating our loved ones, and the [Welsh] Government must ensure that this practice comes to an end.”
Labour’s Carolyn Thomas pointed to the impact of 14 years of austerity, with cuts shared between social care and the health service.
The Conservatives’ Altaf Hussain said a 73-year-old constituent spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day being treated in the waiting room at Morriston Hospital.
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Dr Hussain, a former surgeon, told the Senedd: “Emergency departments are working far above staffing guidelines that the Royal College of Emergency Medicine suggests.
“Staff are completely burnt out; they dread coming into work and many feel extremely anxious before their shifts. Many staff cry regularly on shift…. If nurses are telling us the situation is dire, we should listen and act.”
His Tory colleague Janet-Finch Saunders said more than 6,500 ambulances spent at least an hour outside a Welsh A&E waiting to offload patients in December alone.
She said: “Nursing staff describe patients treated in chairs for over 24 hours – 48 hours I’ve witnessed – forced into hallways or in front of fire exits due to a lack of available beds.
“I know of one constituent only recently, I saw them being treated in a cupboard.”
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Health secretary Jeremy Miles stated the Welsh Government will focus on strengthening the whole health and care system, not only hospitals.
He said: “I don’t believe that it is acceptable to provide care or treatment in areas that are not clinical settings, or areas that are inappropriate. But this is happening because the health service here and across the UK is under huge pressure.”
Mr Miles added: “Our district and community nursing teams play a vital role in delivering high-quality care closer to home, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions….
“We are committed to expanding and investing in this part of the nursing workforce to meet the needs of our population and to improve outcomes.”
Senedd Members voted 26-24 against the motion. The Welsh Government’s amendment, to note the report rather than commit to its recommendations, was agreed by the same margin.
Health
Patients left in pain as dentists slam Welsh Government ‘spin’
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NHS DENTISTRY in Wales is in crisis. The state of NHS dental care has been overshadowed by the broader collapse of NHS services in Wales, from spiraling waiting lists to patients being treated in hospital corridors.
This week, the British Dental Association (BDA) took a chainsaw to Welsh Government claims of an improving picture in NHS dentistry, accusing ministers of spreading half-truths and spin.
A SYSTEM IN DECLINE
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NHS dentistry garners fewer headlines than delays in cancer treatment, GP shortages, and the overall deterioration of the Welsh NHS. Yet, of all these crises, the rapid collapse of dental services is among the most stark.
The Herald asked Hywel Dda University Health Board how many dental practices in Pembrokeshire had vacancies for NHS patients. The Health Board could not provide an answer. That means local patients in need of dental care must either ring around every dental practice listed on Hywel Dda’s website or rely on emergency services. Even for those accepted onto an NHS dental list, waiting times for treatment remain extensive.
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Currently, more than 1.5 million people in Wales are unable to secure an NHS dentist, with many more facing months or even years of delays.
Sam Kurtz, MS for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, called the situation “one of the top issues” raised by his constituents.
“The system is failing,” Mr Kurtz said. “Patients are left in pain, dentists are overwhelmed, and public trust in NHS dentistry is eroding, all while the Welsh Labour Government sits back and watches this crisis unfold.”
LONG-TERM FAILURE TO ACT
As with many issues plaguing the Welsh NHS, the collapse of NHS dentistry was predictable—and avoidable.
As The Herald reported last week regarding GP shortages, dentists have been retiring at a foreseeable rate for years, with little or no effort made to replace them—especially those willing to take on NHS patients.
Over 10% of dentists have been leaving the profession annually since 2010-11, with 2024 marking the second-highest departure rate in over a decade. The overall number of dentists in Wales continues to decline, with around 20% nearing retirement.
In 2022, 93% of dental practices in Wales were not accepting new NHS patients, and 88% were refusing new child patients.
The impact of this failure to recruit and retain dentists is clear.
Large parts of rural Wales are now NHS dental deserts. The lack of access disproportionately affects children, older people, pregnant individuals, disabled people, those with additional learning needs, and lower-income families.
Despite repeated assurances from the Welsh Government about increasing NHS dental appointments and the supposed success of its dental contract, reports from Senedd committees and direct questioning in the Welsh Parliament reveal a chasm between ministerial claims and patients’ realities.
DENTISTS ACCUSE WELSH GOVERNMENT OF ‘BAD FAITH’
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This week, the British Dental Association delivered a scathing assessment of the Welsh Government’s handling of NHS dentistry.
“For too long, the Welsh Government has offered spin, half-truths, or doublespeak on dentistry,” the BDA said.
In an open letter to Health Secretary Jeremy Miles, the BDA called for honesty, accusing the government of misrepresenting negotiations over the General Dental Service contract for 2024-25.
Mr Miles claimed the Welsh General Dental Practice Committee had refused further negotiations, but the BDA described this as “a spectacular act of bad faith.”
The association warned that the promised funding uplift for dental practices—backdated to April 2024—has yet to materialise, putting the financial sustainability of services at risk.
“This uplift means another real-terms pay cut for dentists and insufficient funds to cover running costs,” the BDA said. “It will not begin to meet the hike in employers’ National Insurance contributions coming in April.”
The BDA also criticised the Welsh Government’s misleading claims about investment and patient numbers.
“Ministers claim investment and patient numbers are breaking records. The reality is that investment in dentistry has stalled, and the number of patients seen each year remains 30% lower than in 2019. It is time our patients received the dental service they deserve—not empty promises and PR stunts like the so-called Dental Access Portal, which does nothing to create extra appointments out of thin air.”
‘GASLIGHTING’ WALES ON DENTISTRY
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At the heart of the crisis is the deeply flawed NHS dental contract, which offers a fixed price for all NHS treatments. This financial model forces dentists to hand back contracts or operate at a loss. Complex procedures, which take time and resources, often leave dentists out of pocket, discouraging them from taking on NHS work.
Plaid Cymru’s Health and Social Care spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, did not mince words, accusing Labour of “gaslighting” the Welsh public over the scale of the crisis.
“The people of Wales experience this crisis daily—being forced to go private, travelling long distances, or, in extreme cases, pulling their own teeth. Meanwhile, dentists are burning out.
“Labour’s empty boast of 400,000 ‘extra’ appointments has rightly been called out as spin. NHS dentistry needs fundamental, systemic reform. The contract is simply not fit for purpose, and, like the entire primary care sector, it must be prioritised.”
The question now is whether the Welsh Government will listen—or whether patients will continue to suffer while ministers cling to their narrative.
Health
NHS waiting list in Wales stays above 800,000 as concerns grow
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THE LATEST figures for NHS Wales show that waiting lists remain stubbornly high, with 800,395 patient pathways still awaiting treatment. Despite a small decrease from November’s figures, concerns persist over the length of delays and the impact on patients across the country.
Long waits and emergency response failures
The statistics reveal that fewer than half (48.3%) of the most serious emergency calls—classified as ‘red’—received a response within the eight-minute target time. Additionally, median waits for treatment have increased by 0.6 weeks to 23.6 weeks, a stark contrast to the 14.2-week median wait in England.
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In December, 10,387 patients waited over 12 hours in Welsh emergency departments, despite a target of zero patients exceeding this timeframe. The proportion of patients seen within four hours in A&E also fell to 67.6%, well below the 95% target.
Experts warn that delays in emergency response times and long A&E waiting periods put patient safety at risk, increasing the likelihood of deteriorating conditions before treatment is received. Patients suffering from strokes, heart attacks, and other critical conditions are especially vulnerable to these delays.
Tory response: ‘Labour distracted by pet projects’
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Andrew RT Davies, former party leader, criticised the Labour-led Welsh Government for failing to tackle the crisis effectively.
“People in Wales will take little solace in this downturn in patient pathways,” said Mr. Davies. “After months and months of Labour’s NHS waiting lists reaching record highs, a small decrease is the first step in an incredibly long journey, and I have serious doubts that Labour have the focus to keep us on this path.”
He added: “If Labour could only drop their pet projects and distractions, Wales might have a Welsh Government fully and unshakably committed to working with staff to turn our NHS around.”
The Conservatives argue that funding has been misallocated to non-essential projects rather than front-line services. They claim that additional resources should be directed toward increasing NHS capacity, improving recruitment, and cutting bureaucracy to allow medical staff to focus on patient care.
Two-year waits still high
A major point of contention remains the lengthy two-year waits for treatment, which stand at 23,621 in Wales. In England, only 155 patients remain on similar extended waiting lists. Welsh Labour’s First Minister Eluned Morgan, who previously served as Health Minister, had pledged to eliminate these long waits by March 2023 and then again by March 2024—but both targets have been missed.
For thousands of Welsh patients, these long delays mean living in pain and uncertainty, often forced to give up work while waiting for essential procedures. Patient advocacy groups have called for immediate action, urging the government to accelerate treatment pathways and explore innovative solutions, such as expanding the role of community hospitals and increasing specialist workforce recruitment.
Cancer treatment sees best performance since 2021
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Performance against the 62-day cancer treatment target improved in December, rising to 61.9% from 60.2% in November. While this represents the best performance since August 2021, it remains well below the 75% target. Campaigners argue that more must be done to ensure cancer patients are diagnosed and treated as early as possible, particularly as delays can significantly impact survival rates.
Waiting lists show first signs of decline
A key development in the latest figures is a slight reduction in the overall number of patient pathways, which fell from just under 802,300 in November to just under 800,400 in December. While this marks the first decrease in several months, waiting lists remain at crisis levels, with over 600,000 patients still waiting for treatment.
Health leaders warn that the downward trend could be temporary, particularly as winter pressures continue to take a toll on hospital capacity and workforce shortages persist.
NHS leaders urge long-term investment
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Darren Hughes, Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, acknowledged the dedication of NHS staff in delivering improvements despite unprecedented challenges but stressed that urgent action is still needed.
“The latest figures show a mixed picture of performance in the face of relentless demand and pressure on NHS services,” Mr. Hughes said.
“The fact that improvements were made in several areas is testament to the dedication of staff who labour night and day to provide treatment for patients—thank you for your determination, commitment, care, and hard work. These improvements include performance in emergency departments in January, the overall number of people waiting for treatment coming down for the first time in months, and the best performance against the 62-day cancer target since 2021. Given these statistics are based on December and January, the most difficult months of the year for the health service and a particularly difficult flu season, these green shoots are not to be dismissed.”
However, he cautioned that major challenges remain, particularly in tackling waiting lists and ensuring sustainable improvements across the system.
“We cannot ignore that, ultimately, challenges remain across the breadth of health and social care services, and people are needing higher levels of care at an ever-increasing rate. Waiting lists are higher than any of us would like them to be. Health and care leaders know there is still a long way to go in what is a very difficult financial climate, and staff are committed to continuing to innovate and transform services in the face of increasing demand.”
Mr. Hughes warned that without long-term investment and strategic planning, the NHS would continue to struggle to cope with rising demand.
“The NHS is likely to face more difficult winters until we tackle the long-term challenges across the NHS and social care. Unless we make meaningful shifts towards prevention, longer-term planning and solutions, upgrading to fit-for-purpose physical and digital infrastructure, and creating a sustainable social care system, the NHS will continue to firefight day in, day out.”
Political pressure intensifies
With waiting lists still at record levels and emergency care targets continuing to fall short, political pressure is mounting on the Welsh Government to deliver meaningful reforms.
The Welsh Conservatives have criticised Labour’s handling of the NHS, arguing that funding has been misallocated to “pet projects” rather than front-line services. Meanwhile, patient advocacy groups are calling for increased investment in staffing, diagnostic equipment, and hospital infrastructure to address the deepening crisis.
As the Welsh NHS continues to grapple with growing demand, the question remains whether these modest improvements are the start of a sustained recovery or merely a brief respite in an ongoing healthcare crisis.
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