Health board reports progress across key services including diagnostics and A&E

HYWEL DDA UNIVERSITY HEALTH BOARD has emerged as the top-performing health board in Wales for cancer treatment waiting times, according to the latest figures, while also reporting wider improvements across several areas of patient care.

The organisation, which runs Withybush Hospital in Pembrokeshire as well as hospitals across Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, said it was encouraged by the progress made in reducing delays for patients awaiting treatment and diagnostic tests.

Andrew Carruthers, the board’s chief operating officer, said there had been steady improvement over the past year.

He said: “We are pleased to see continued progress in overall waiting times across Hywel Dda. Significant improvements have been made, particularly in cancer services, alongside reductions in the number of patients waiting for diagnostic investigations such as scans and endoscopy procedures.”

Performance data for December 2025 shows that 66.5 per cent of patients in the Hywel Dda area began cancer treatment within the Welsh Government’s 62-day target. This represents a notable rise compared with January 2025, when the figure stood at 53.1 per cent.

The health board said improvements had been driven by efforts to expand clinical capacity, better prioritisation of cases, and new ways of working across services.

Mr Carruthers added that the impact of long waits on patients remained a key concern.

He said: “We recognise how difficult waiting for treatment can be for patients and their families, and we continue to focus on making the best use of our existing resources, supporting our workforce and improving how services operate.”

Figures also show that very long waits for a first outpatient appointment have almost disappeared, with only one patient pathway exceeding a year recorded in November 2025.

Diagnostic waiting times have improved significantly, with the proportion of patients waiting longer than the eight-week target falling to 13.4 per cent, compared with 43 per cent earlier in the year.

Emergency department performance has also seen gains. The percentage of patients treated within four hours rose to 71.2 per cent, up from 67.4 per cent, while the proportion waiting more than 12 hours dropped from 9.6 per cent to 8.6 per cent.

However, therapy services experienced some setbacks. The number of patients waiting longer than the 14-week target increased to 24.7 per cent, compared with 21.2 per cent at the start of the year.

Health board leaders say work is continuing to address remaining challenges while building on recent improvements across services.

Row intensifies over waiting times, A&E pressures and hospital service changes

THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have brought forward a Senedd debate this week calling for a national health emergency to be declared, as concerns grow over waiting times and pressure on NHS services in Wales.

Latest figures show around 580,000 patient pathways are currently waiting for treatment — equivalent to almost one in four people in Wales. More than 5,200 pathways have been waiting over two years to start treatment, compared with 223 in England.

Data also indicates a rise in the number of patients waiting more than twelve hours in emergency departments, alongside worsening ambulance response times for the most serious “Red” calls.

The motion, due to be debated on Wednesday (Feb 25), argues that NHS performance in Wales remains among the worst in the UK for waiting times and access to treatment, and calls for urgent system-wide action to restore performance and public confidence.

Proposals include reopening closed community hospital wards to improve patient flow, increasing bed capacity, expanding surgical hubs and diagnostic services, improving GP access, and establishing a dedicated NHS Wales recovery team.

The Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Secretary, Peter Fox MS said: “Labour’s health strategy is failing in real time — waiting lists are growing, emergency care is deteriorating, and patients are paying the price.

“After 27 years of Labour running the Welsh NHS, excuses are no longer good enough. The Welsh Conservatives have a clear plan to restore performance, cut waiting times and deliver the timely care people across Wales deserve.”

The Conservatives are also calling for the Welsh Government to end the use of corridor care and designate twelve-hour waits in emergency departments as “never events”.

The debate comes amid fresh controversy in west Wales following a decision by Hywel Dda University Health Board to remove emergency general surgery from Withybush Hospital as part of wider service changes. The move has prompted strong political reaction and renewed concerns about travel times and access to care for rural communities, although the Health Board says the changes are intended to improve safety and sustainability.

The Welsh Government has previously said NHS Wales is facing significant pressures following the pandemic, including workforce shortages and rising demand linked to an ageing population. Ministers say record levels of funding are being invested in health services and that reducing the longest waits remains a priority, although they acknowledge performance is not yet where they want it to be.

Health is expected to remain one of the central political battlegrounds ahead of the next Senedd election, with opposition parties increasingly critical of performance while ministers point to wider pressures affecting health systems across the UK.

The debate is expected to begin at around 4:30pm on Wednesday.

Row deepens over emergency services wording as health board decision sparks political clash

A POLITICAL row has erupted over planned changes to services at Withybush Hospital after First Minister Eluned Morgan accused Preseli Pembrokeshire MS Paul Davies of “scaremongering” about the future of emergency care in the county.

The dispute centres on a decision by Hywel Dda University Health Board to remove general emergency surgery from the hospital — a move that has prompted strong criticism from local campaigners and politicians concerned about patient access and travel times.

In a social media post earlier this week, Mr Davies said he was “appalled” that the Health Board had voted to remove what he described as “general emergency services” from Withybush, warning that the decision would undermine the sustainability of the hospital’s A&E department and force patients to travel further for urgent treatment.

However, the First Minister rejected that characterisation, saying the decision relates specifically to emergency surgery rather than the closure of accident and emergency services.

She said: “There’s a big difference between emergency services and emergency surgery. One affects the entire population, one affects around five people a week. You can’t shout ‘crisis’ at the first draft and quietly edit it to something completely different once the facts catch up.”

Ms Morgan also pushed back against claims that services at Withybush have been systematically downgraded, adding: “It’s still there, it’s still providing services.”

Accountability and responsibility

Health is fully devolved to Wales, meaning the Welsh Government is responsible for NHS policy, funding and oversight. While health boards make operational decisions locally, they remain accountable to Welsh ministers.

The Welsh Conservatives have consistently argued that pressures within NHS Wales — including waiting times, workforce shortages and service centralisation — are the result of policy decisions made by successive Labour-led governments in Cardiff Bay.

Mr Davies has pledged to raise the issue directly with ministers and has called on the Welsh Government to intervene, describing the Health Board’s decision as “catastrophic”.

What is changing?

Hywel Dda University Health Board says centralising certain emergency surgical procedures is intended to address staffing pressures and improve patient safety, with some cases expected to be transferred to other hospitals within the health board area.

Accident and emergency services at Withybush are not being removed and will remain in place.

The debate has reignited long-standing concern in Pembrokeshire about the future of hospital services, with previous changes over the past two decades prompting repeated public campaigns and protests.

As political tensions escalate, attention is now turning to whether Welsh ministers will step in — or whether the Health Board’s decision will proceed as planned.