Surgeons call for Welsh Government to make NHS waiting lists a ‘top priority’

Surgeons have called on the next Welsh First Minister to make cutting NHS waiting times a “top priority”, as figures hit another record high.

The latest NHS Wales statistics have been described as “another disappointing set of NHS performance figures” by the Welsh Government, as about a fifth of the Welsh population sit on the waiting list.

The waiting list for “patient pathways” – planned treatment – in Wales has risen to 787,949, an increase of almost 13,000 from the month before, the latest figures for May 2024 show.

And the number of individuals on the waiting list is also at a record high at about 611,500, out of a Welsh population of about 3.1 million.

After Vaughan Gething, the leader of the Welsh government, announced his intention to stand down earlier this week, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, has called for the next first minister to get to grips with the problem.

Professor Jon Barry, Director in Wales at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “With the waiting list now at another record high, patients in Wales continue to be let down.

“A worrying number have also been left to wait for years. We are concerned about the disruption this is causing to their lives and the risk that their condition may deteriorate while they wait.

“The next first minister has the opportunity to change the tune on long NHS waits in Wales by ramping up progress on surgical hubs, which separate out planned and emergency care, allowing operations to go ahead.

“Tackling our abysmal waiting lists must be a top priority.”

The Royal College of Surgeons of England has said it would like to see faster progress on the establishment of surgical hubs, which separate planned and emergency care, so operations can go ahead when hospitals are under pressure.

The latest data also shows there were just over 22,500 pathways waiting more than two years, while waits of more than one year stood at 154,900 in May 2024.

Reacting to the latest figures, Sam Rowlands the Welsh Conservative shadow health minister in the Senedd, said: “These abysmal statistics show Labour’s performance on health continues to get worse here in Wales.

“The Labour Welsh Government have consistently missed their targets and this is not just the outgoing First Minister’s legacy, but the result of 25 years of Labour mismanaging the Welsh NHS.”

He added that the Conservatives would enact a “workforce plan” to empower primary care services and fully resource the Welsh NHS.

In a statement, a Welsh government spokesperson said: “Overall, this is another disappointing set of NHS performance figures.

“The waiting list has grown again and, after 24 months of consecutive falls, the number of people waiting more than two years for treatment has increased for the second month in a row.

“The Health Secretary has made it clear to health boards that she expects to see progress – and sustained progress – to reduce long waits and waiting times for treatments.

“She will be making it clear to the leadership of health boards today that the situation is not acceptable and must improve.”

The spokesperson added that there was still “a way to go” in reducing the backlog which built up during the pandemic but the NHS “continues to deliver an enormous amount of activity” with about 103,000 patient pathways closed every month.