First Minister accused of ‘passing buck’ on long NHS waits

Published

1 year ago

September 22, 2024

OPPOSITION Senedd members accused Wales’ new First Minister Eluned Morgan of passing the buck as latest statistics showed record-long waiting lists.

Mabon ap Gwynfor pointed out that six Labour frontbenchers have held the health portfolio over the past 25 years, including the current and two former First Ministers.

The Plaid Cymru shadow health secretary said: “Although we have seen different faces coming and going over the summer, it’s the same old story when it comes to the health service.

“Standards going down, waiting times getting longer, staff being pushed to the extreme, and from the government? – nothing but repeated empty promises.”

Mr ap Gwynfor, who represents Dwyfor Meironnydd, accused ministers of putting the horse before the cart by “fixating” on outcomes without first plotting a credible path.

Leading a Plaid Cymru debate, he criticised Eluned Morgan for pointing the finger at health board executives, saying it typifies a tendency to blame everyone else.

Sam Rowlands, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, similarly accused the First Minister of passing the buck to NHS executives.

He said: “Health boards have a big job to do to work through these waiting lists but a First Minister and a government must not abdicate its responsibility,”

Pointing out that the Welsh Government previously cut the health budget, he urged ministers to spend the full 20% uplift from spending in England on NHS Wales.

Mr Rowlands, who represents North Wales, warned the Welsh health service is worse on every major metric, with 23,000 people on waiting lists for more than two years.

The former council leader highlighted the Darzi review of the NHS in England as he called for a similar independent investigation in Wales.

Rhun ap Iorwerth also focused on the “damning” Darzi report.

He said: “Keir Starmer is right … the situation in England is disastrous … more than 10% of the population of England on waiting lists. But in Wales, of course, the figure is 20%.”

Mr ap Iorwerth reiterated his party’s calls for the Welsh Government to declare a health crisis but he accused ministers of being unwilling to recognise the gravity of the situation.

He asked: “If it’s not an emergency, then how can the situation be described?

“And how can Labour describe a situation in England as a crisis when the situation in Wales in so many ways is so much worse?”

The Ynys Môn MS said 316 people were waiting a year for their first appointment in 2012, with the corresponding figure now standing at more than 74,000.

Jenny Rathbone, a Labour backbencher, accused the Conservatives of being unfair to Baroness Morgan by failing to recognise the “heavy lifting” she did as health minister.

The Cardiff Central MS stressed the importance of community social care, saying hundreds of people medically do not need to be in the University Hospital of Wales in Heath, Cardiff.

Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams accused the UK Government of continuing to apply austerity. She said studies show poverty makes people ill, so austerity is damaging people’s health.

Her party colleague Cefin Campbell warned children and young people are suffering most as a result of the Welsh Government’s “persistent inability to reduce waiting lists”.

Mr Campbell told the chamber at least 8,200 children and young people have been waiting more than a year, with 1,200 waiting at least two years.

He said: “The situation is particularly severe in Betsi Cadwaladr, where 62% of people under the age of 18 are having to wait longer than two years. 62% – it’s shameful.”

Wales’ new health secretary Jeremy Miles told the debate on September 18 that cutting waiting times is at the top of his to-do list after his appointment a week earlier.

Mr Miles told the chamber long waiting times are a result of the pandemic and a decade of austerity which “cast a long shadow”.

The former Welsh Labour leadership contender claimed work to reduce waiting times is having an impact despite financial pressures and a significant increase in demand.

He said: “Long waits of over two years have reduced by 67% since its high point in March 2022, and long waits for diagnostic tests have reduced by almost a third.

“Now, around 3% of people on waiting lists are waiting longer than two years compared with almost 10% in March 2022.”

The health secretary said the Welsh Government’s recovery plan is driving waits down as he pointed to an extra £900m for the NHS this year and last.

Mr Miles, who previously held responsibility for education and the economy, recognised there is too much variation across Wales in terms of productivity and performance.

Highlighting a new waiting times bulletin, he said: “It will help us identify good performance and where health boards need to do more to learn from those making the best progress.”

The Neath MS said the NHS will introduce a “one-stop” approach to reduce the number of appointments needed and streamline pathways by removing unnecessary steps.

Mr ap Gwynfor was disappointed by the health secretary’s response, accusing Labour of continuing an austerity agenda and failing to provide a fair funding settlement for Wales.

Plaid Cymru’s motion was narrowly defeated, 23-24, with the Conservatives voting in favour and Labour against. The Welsh Government’s “delete-all” amendment was agreed.

Monthly NHS performance data, published this morning, shows some improvements but overall waiting lists continue to worsen.

The headline figure for patient pathways – which include people waiting for more than one treatment – was 796,600 waiting to start treatment – the highest on record.

This is estimated to equate to 616,700 people, another unwelcome record.

The number of immediately life-threatening “red” calls responded to within eight minutes was up 3.6% to 51.8% on the previous month. But this remains short of the 65% target.

In Wales’ emergency departments, the number of patients spending less than four hours in A&E remained flat at 69.3% against a target of 95%.

The health service also missed a target of no patient waiting more than 12 hours, with 9,489 waiting at least 12 hours, though this metric improved by 6.6% in August.

But the number of pathways waiting more than a year for a first outpatient appointment worsened, with a 2.6% increase to 76,132.

Performance against a target of 75% of cancer patients starting treatment within 62 days declined to 55% in July, down 1.7% on the previous month and 3.2% annually.

Major investment confirmed for GP services in Wales

Published

5 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Government unveils £41m boost, but practices warn pressures remain acute

MORE than £41m in extra funding will go into general practice in Wales this year following a new agreement between the Welsh Government, NHS Wales and GP leaders. Ministers say the deal provides stability at a time of rising demand — but the settlement comes against a backdrop of sustained pressures, recruitment challenges and concerns over patient access.

The package includes a 4% uplift to the General Medical Services (GMS) contract for 2025-26, in line with independent DDRB pay recommendations, and a guaranteed 5.8% recurrent uplift from 2026-27. The Welsh Government says the multi-year commitment will allow practices to plan ahead, modernise systems and strengthen community-based services.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said the investment showed an “unwavering commitment” to general practice, adding: “The 4% pay uplift ensures fair recognition for GPs and practice staff who work tirelessly to deliver care for communities across our country. Multi-year funding gives practices the confidence to invest in the transformation primary care needs.”

However, the announcement comes at a time when many Welsh practices continue to report severe workforce pressures, rising demand, and longstanding challenges in recruiting new partners. GP numbers have fallen over the past decade, with some practices handing back contracts or operating list closures because of unsustainable workloads. Patient satisfaction with access has also declined, according to the latest Welsh GP Patient Survey.

What the deal includes

The settlement for 2025-26 comprises £37.9m of new investment and £4m in re-invested capacity funding, with the key elements including:

A 1.77% uplift in expenses, intended to help practices manage inflationary pressures in energy, staffing and running costs.
A recurrent £20m stabilisation fund to support practices facing immediate operational pressures and to prepare for wider reform under the incoming Sustainable Farming Scheme model for health.
An increased partnership premium, aimed at retaining experienced GPs and encouraging new partners into a model that some say has become less attractive due to financial and regulatory risk.
A full review of the GMS allocation formula — the first in more than 20 years — which determines how funding is distributed between practices. Some rural and deprived communities have long argued the current system does not reflect the complexity of local health needs.

Wider context

General practice remains the foundation of the NHS, accounting for around 90% of patient contacts, yet it receives a proportionally small share of the overall health budget compared with hospital services. Both the Welsh NHS Confederation and GPC Wales have repeatedly warned that without sustained investment, primary care risks being unable to meet increasing demand from ageing populations and rising chronic illness.

The Welsh Government’s own “community-by-design” programme relies on shifting more care closer to home, reducing pressure on emergency departments and supporting earlier intervention. For that to be achieved, GP leaders say investment needs to be matched with workforce expansion, improved digital systems, and clear strategies to retain experienced clinicians.

Working groups will now be set up to examine access standards, diabetes prevention and new service models.

Mr Miles said he was pleased that GPs would be “actively contributing to creating innovative care models that enhance access, improve outcomes and deliver care locally.”

GP representatives broadly welcomed the deal but have stressed that it is only one step in addressing the scale of challenge across primary care.

Health

Welsh NHS leaders hail GP contract deal as “vital step” in strengthening primary care

Published

18 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Agreement secures investment, digital upgrades and better patient pathways

WELSH NHS leaders have welcomed the successful conclusion of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract for 2025-26 — and key elements of 2026-27 — describing it as a “positive example of social partnership” at a pivotal moment for general practice.

The deal, negotiated between Welsh Government, the Welsh NHS Confederation and GP representatives, sets out new investment and commitments for frontline primary care, including accelerated digital transformation through the NHS Wales App and strengthened support for population-level health management.

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said the agreement comes at a crucial time for GP services across Wales.

He said: “NHS leaders welcome this agreement as a positive example of social partnership in action. We also welcome the commitment to accelerating digital transformation for patients through the NHS Wales App and the measures agreed in the contract to enable enhanced population health management, such as diabetes management.”

Mr Hughes added that GPs and their multidisciplinary teams remain “the front door to the NHS,” and stressed that investment in general practice is essential if Wales is to treat more people closer to home.

“Evidence shows investing in primary and community care reduces demand on hospitals and emergency care and delivers returns of £14 for every £1 invested. To enable this shift ‘upstream’ from hospital-centred care to integrated services in the community, we must develop care pathways and joint performance measures that address the full needs of individuals,” he said.

Background: Why the GP contract matters

General practice forms the foundation of the Welsh NHS, handling millions of patient contacts every year. According to the latest official figures for 2023-24:

Over 29 million calls were received by GP practices
18 million appointments took place
11 million of these were face-to-face
More than 200,000 home visits were carried out
78 million prescriptions were dispensed
Over 14,000 medication reviews took place

Demand has continued to rise while GP numbers have come under sustained pressure, particularly in rural areas such as Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Powys, where recruitment remains a long-running challenge. Practices in West Wales have repeatedly reported difficulties filling vacancies and increasing reliance on multidisciplinary teams, including nurse practitioners, pharmacists and physiotherapists.

The new GMS contract is therefore seen as a key mechanism for stabilising the sector, supporting digital access, improving chronic disease management, and helping to deliver the Welsh Government’s community-by-design programme, which aims to shift care away from hospitals and into community settings.

A recent survey by the Welsh NHS Confederation found that 74 per cent of NHS leaders support moving resources from acute hospital services into primary care, community-based services, mental health and social care, reflecting growing consensus around early intervention and prevention.

What comes next

The Welsh Government is expected to outline further detail in the coming months on how investment will be delivered at practice level, including support for digital tools, workforce development and shared performance measures with health boards.

With winter pressures mounting and hospitals facing record demand, NHS leaders say the success of the new GP contract will be central to improving access, reducing waiting times and ensuring patients in communities such as Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion can receive timely, local care before conditions escalate.

The Welsh NHS Confederation represents all seven local health boards, the three NHS trusts, Health Education and Improvement Wales, and Digital Health and Care Wales.

Charity

Motorcycle fundraisers transform children’s play area at Glangwili Hospital

Published

2 days ago

December 12, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Long-running 3 Amigos and Dollies group marks 25 years of support

THANKS to outstanding fundraising by the Pembrokeshire-based 3 Amigos and Dollies Motorcycle Group, Hywel Dda Health Charities has funded a major improvement of the outdoor play area at Cilgerran children’s ward in Glangwili Hospital — a project costing more than £15,000.

The 3 Amigos and Dollies have supported Hywel Dda University Health Board’s children’s services for twenty-five years, with their Easter and Christmas toy runs becoming landmark dates in the local calendar, drawing hundreds of bikers and supporters from across west Wales.

The latest funding has delivered a full transformation of the ward’s outdoor space, including a re-sprayed graffiti wall, new toys and play equipment, a summer house, improved storage, and a moveable ramp to make the area more accessible for young patients. Members of the group even volunteered to help paint and refresh the space themselves.

Paula Goode, Service Director for Planned and Specialist Care, said: **“We are so grateful to the 3 Amigos and Dollies Motorcycle Group for their amazing support. Not only have they raised an incredible amount for the ward, but they have given their time to help make the outdoor space as special as possible.

“Outdoor play greatly reduces stress and anxiety for children, and it provides a vital opportunity to meet other young people going through similar experiences. It benefits both their physical and mental wellbeing, so we couldn’t be happier with the transformation.”

Tobi Evans, a volunteer with the fundraising group, said: “Because of the generosity of everyone who donates, we are able to give thousands each year. We are always humbled by how much people give, and it’s thanks to them that we’ve reached our 25th year.”

Katie Hancock, Fundraising Officer for Hywel Dda Health Charities, added: “We can’t thank the 3 Amigos and Dollies enough for their support for Cilgerran ward. You have put a smile on so many faces. Diolch yn fawr!”

Hywel Dda Health Charities funds items, equipment and activities that go beyond core NHS funding, making a meaningful difference to children and families across mid and west Wales.