Surgeons: there are still too many people enduring unacceptably long waits for treatment in Wales

The waiting list for referral to consultant led hospital treatment in Wales has dropped to 796,802 in January 2025. However, there are areas of Wales where too many people are waiting over 36 weeks for treatment with little improvement over the last year.

The Royal College of Surgeons of England has emphasised the need to address the varying picture of delayed discharge which has a critical effect on waiting lists in Wales. The caution was sounded as data shows over 1,500 people were languishing in hospitals in January 2025, when they were fit to leave.

The data also shows there were over 168,000 patient pathways waiting more than one year in January. This number was 3.6% lower than last month. Just under 21,000 were waiting for more than two years, which is a fall of 10.7% on the previous month. Progress towards reaching the 36-week target has, however, been much more subdued. 283,997 patient pathways were waiting over 36 weeks in January 2025, only a slight drop from the all-time high of 284,586 in December 2024.

Responding to the figures, Professor Jon Barry, Director in Wales at the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said:

“While there has been some progress overall, the number of patients waiting over 36 weeks remains persistently high with the situation getting worse, not better, in some parts of the country over the last year. This has resulted in an unacceptable number of people across the country being forced to suffer through prolonged pain and discomfort.

“One major challenge is the significant impact of delayed transfers of care in parts of Wales. These delays create bottlenecks, preventing operations from proceeding and increasing the risk of patient deterioration. Addressing this issue is critical to reducing the backlog and improving patient outcomes.

“To tackle these challenges, we are advocating for a broader rollout of surgical hubs. These hubs would allow for ringfenced surgical treatment, boost productivity, and, most importantly, ensure that fewer people are left living with unnecessary pain.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:
 
1. There were 796,802 patient pathways waiting to start treatment at the end of January 2025. There were 800,395 patient pathways waiting to start treatment at the end of December 2024.

2. There were 754,814 patient pathways waiting to start treatment at the end of January 2024.

3. NHS Wales waiting time targets:

• No patients waiting longer than two years in most specialities by March 2023, and no patients waiting longer than one year in most specialities by Spring 2025 (new targets established in the planned care recovery plan).
• 95% of patients waiting less than 26 weeks from referral.
• No patients waiting more than 36 weeks for treatment from referral.

4. Full patient pathways waiting to start treatment by month, grouped weeks and stage of pathway: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/NHS-Hospital-Waiting-Times/Referral-to-Treatment/patientpathwayswaitingtostarttreatment-by-month-groupedweeks

5. Data for patients waiting over one and two years to start treatment is drawn from the Welsh Government’s NHS activity and performance summary: December 2024 and January 2024: https://www.gov.wales/nhs-activity-and-performance-summary-january-and-february-2025

6. The ‘patient pathway’ data released by Stats Wales covers the period of time from referral by a GP or other medical practitioner to hospital for treatment in the NHS in Wales. The data includes time spent waiting for any hospital appointments, tests, surgery, scans, or other procedures.

7. 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.

8. Pathway of Care Delays: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Health-and-Social-Care/NHS-Performance/pathway-of-care-delays/pathwayofcaredelays-by-localhealthboardprovider-date

9. The Health Foundation carried out a study on the effects of surgical hubs in 2024: https://gettingitrightfirsttime.co.uk/new-research-concludes-that-surgical-hubs-can-speed-up-efforts-to-tackle-hospital-waiting-lists/

10. 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.

11. 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.