Welsh Health Secretary must continue to prioritise meeting waiting time targets

StatsWales data published today show that by the end of May the equivalent of 373 447 patients (86%) in Wales waited less than 26 weeks despite the Welsh Government’s target of 95% of patients meeting this figure. This is compared to 83.8% of patients within the target for the same month last year.

Mr Tim Havard, RCS Director of Professional Affairs for Wales and a consultant general surgeon, said:

“Waiting times in Wales are starting to move in the right direction and this is welcome. However, the Government’s target of 95% of patients being treated within 26 weeks is still being missed by a significant margin so more work still needs to be done. The 26 and 36 week planned treatment targets have not been met since September 2011.

“The new Health Minister inherits a portfolio that has seen the Welsh health service treat more patients than ever before, with high levels of satisfaction and more people living longer as a result of the care they receive. However, waiting times remain a very serious issue in Wales. Delays in treatment cause unnecessary anxiety for patients, as well as their families, and can lead to their conditions deteriorating.

“Timely access to care should be at the heart of any health service. The Minister needs to build on NHS Wales’s successes while developing policies that will see waiting times consistently and continuously decrease.”

Notes to editors

Full data is available here

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