Home / Health / Major Improvement in Welsh Healthcare Wait Times
Major Improvement in Welsh Healthcare Wait Times
22 Jan
Summary
- Patient waitlists in Wales decreased by 23,400 in one month.
- Cancer treatment starts within 62 days have fallen to 58.4%.
- A&E waits of under four hours are at a three-year low of 64.3%.
Patient waitlists in Wales experienced their most significant monthly decrease on record, bringing the total number of patients awaiting treatment to just under 757,900, a reduction of 23,400. This positive trend includes a fall in those waiting two years, with most affected patients located in north Wales.
However, performance in other critical areas has deteriorated. The percentage of cancer patients beginning treatment within 62 days of suspicion has fallen to 58.4%. Emergency departments are also struggling, with only 64.3% of attendees spending less than four hours in A&E, the lowest figure in three years, against a target of 95%.
Ambulance response times for critical calls, including cardiac arrests and life-threatening emergencies, saw slight increases in December. Despite these persistent issues, recent changes prioritizing urgent cases have led to an improvement in patient breathing post-arrest upon arrival at hospitals during December.
The Welsh government has invested £120 million in key areas and facilitated 127,000 extra appointments. Cabinet secretary for health Jeremy Miles highlighted reductions in ambulance handover delays in December compared to the previous year, indicating faster transfers to emergency departments.
