Hospital waiting times in Wales hit record high again

NHS waiting times in Wales have hit another record high for patients awaiting hospital treatment.  In addition, cancer waiting times and ambulance performance figures were the second worst on record and A&E waiting times were the worst this year.

The Welsh government have said that despite the overall increase, it was “encouraging to see the longest waits” falling.

Only 52.9 per cent of cancer patients in September started treatment within 62 days of it being suspected, which is well below the 75 per cent target and this marked the second worst month since the new target came in.

Cancer charity Macmillan’s policy manager Glenn Page, said “Performance has declined in every region of Wales, and this systemic failure calls into question how the Welsh government will achieve its commitment of treating 80 per cent of people with cancer on time by 2026.”

The Welsh government said it was putting significant pressure on health boards to improve, adding “It is concerning that so many are missing the target date for treatment.”

Numbers waiting for longer than 12 months for an outpatient appointment dropped by 971 to 51,652 when no patient was due to be waiting this long by the end of last year.  Figures also showed 1,550 patients remained in hospital beds waiting for discharge despite being well enough to leave.

The Royal College of Surgeons’ director in Wales Professor Jon Barry, said “Waiting times figures in Wales are mounting month on month, which is disappointing for the healthcare staff working incredibly hard to get patients treated quickly in extremely difficult circumstances.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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