No significant improvement to NHS waiting times in Wales

No significant improvement to NHS waiting times in Wales

New data published today (22 February) shows that the waiting list for referral to treatment in Wales has seen a small decrease, with the figure for December 2023 sitting at 756,333.

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 any hospital appointments, tests, surgery, scans, or other procedures.

Today’s data shows there are 240,764 ‘patient pathways’ waiting nine months or more for treatment. The longest waits are for trauma and orthopaedic treatment, 98,284; general surgery, 84,135; ENT, 58,939; and urology, 42,266.

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

“Waiting lists in Wales are essentially in limbo, showing no significant improvement for months. With the equivalent of one in four people in Wales on the waiting list for treatment, more needs to be done. Too many patients are being left to wait in pain, and uncertainty, for the day they might have their operation.

“Factors contributing to long waits include a shortage of theatre staff, a lack of ringfenced beds for surgical patients, and not enough operating theatres³. Increased pressure on emergency departments will also have had a knock-on effect for planned surgery over the busy winter period.

“Creating more surgical hubs, which protect planned surgeries from emergency pressures, is part of the solution. The Welsh Government is investing in hubs but we need more hubs established at pace to see a meaningful reduction in waiting times.”

ENDS

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. NHS activity and performance summary: December 2023 and January 2024: https://www.gov.wales/nhs-activity-and-performance-summary-december-2023-and-january-2024-announcement
3. According to RCS England’s recent report, Advancing the Surgical Workforce: 2023 UK Surgical Workforce Census, 62% of respondents in Wales said accessing operating theatres was a major challenge. The census included all members of the surgical team including consultants, surgeons in training, specialty and associate specialist (SAS) surgeons, Locally Employed Doctors in surgery (LEDs) and members of the Extended Surgical Team (EST). It has sought information both across the team and specifically within the different professional groups. Data sheets available on request.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.