Surgeons warn further jump in Wales waiting lists is a wake-up call

Surgeons have urged the Welsh government to roll out a long-term approach to tackling the increase in waiting times after newly released data showed NHS waiting lists in Wales jumped again to 760,285 in August 2023.

Professor Jon Barry, Director in Wales at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, warned that the longer a patient is on the waiting list, the greater the chance their condition will deteriorate, and they will subsequently need more complex treatment.

The ‘patient pathway’ data released by Stats Wales covers the time a patient waits from their referral to hospital for treatment. The data includes time spent waiting for hospital appointments, tests, surgery, scans, or other procedures.

Today’s figures show that 234,018 patients in Wales are waiting nine months or more for treatment. The longest waits across Wales are for trauma and orthopaedic treatment, with 99,421 patients waiting; general surgery, 86,584; ENT, 60,579; and urology, 42,407.

Earlier this week, the Welsh Government announced that cuts have been made throughout its budget to move cash to the NHS. The health and social services department will receive an extra £425m on top of its £10.4bn budget. Responding to the extra funding, Professor Barry said:

“As we head into what will be a very difficult winter for the NHS in Wales, any extra funding is welcome. However, given the pressures we are currently facing, this funding will only help the NHS get by rather than being an investment in services that will allow us to make a real dent in waiting times.

Responding to the latest figures, Professor Barry expressed his disappointment in the further rise in waiting times. He said:

“NHS staff are working incredibly hard to reduce waiting times; however, circumstances remain exceptionally challenging. If we are to achieve considerable progress, we require a sustained tactic from the Welsh Government, with appropriate resources and investment.”

Professor Barry highlighted that chronic workforce shortages are hampering the recovery of waiting lists, and people power must be part of that investment. He added:

“The time is now to focus on recruitment, retention, and staff satisfaction within the NHS in Wales. We’re urging the Welsh government and our health bodies to focus on filling vacancies and improving the work environment within our NHS.

“With the increasing number of patients being added to waiting lists, our hard-working healthcare staff are giving everything they can. Meanwhile, longer waiting time is significantly associated with a deterioration in patient outcomes, with patients likely suffering extreme discomfort and feeling scared about when they might get their treatment.”

Notes to editors: 

1. Full, historical Stats Wales Referral to Treatment Waiting Times can be found here: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/NHS-Hospital-Waiting-Times/Referral-to-Treatment/patientpathwayswaitingtostarttreatment-by-month-groupedweeks
2. Analysis from the Welsh Government can be found here: https://www.gov.wales/nhs-activity-and-performance-summary-august-and-september-2023
3. In March 2016, Stats Wales changed some of the terminology used in referral to treatment reporting. Previously, when publishing these statistics, they used the terminology patients. However, now, it is possible that a person could be on several different lists waiting for different conditions – i.e., there would be one patient but more than one pathway. Due to the RTT dataset being an aggregate data collection, Stats Wales says they are not able to measure the number of unique patients. Therefore, they are using the terminology ‘patient pathways,’ to reflect the fact that one person can be on multiple waiting lists. See more information here.
4. The Welsh Government’s plan to address long waiting lists was published in April 2022 and is detailed here: https://www.gov.wales/ambitious-plan-end-long-waiting-times-and-transform-planned-care
5. Welsh Government announcement on further funding for NHS in Wales (17 October 2023): https://www.gov.wales/welsh-government-protects-health-transport-and-public-services
6. The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) provides world-class education, assessment, and development to 30,000 surgeons, dental professionals, and members of the wider surgical and dental care teams, at all stages of their career. Our vision is to see excellent surgical care for everyone. We do this by setting professional standards, facilitating research, and championing the best outcomes for patients.
7. For more information, please contact the RCS England press office: telephone: 020 7869 6053/6054/6047; email: pressoffice@rcseng.ac.uk; out-of-hours media enquiries: 0207 869 6056.