NHS waiting lists in Wales keep on growing and waiting times have hit another high, according to BBC News. Figures reveal that 13,147 patients in Wales had spent at least 36 weeks on the waiting list in August, which was 2,000 more than the number recorded in July. This means that more than 3% of all patients on a waiting list in Wales had waited for more than nine months.
The Conservatives in Wales have called on First Minister Carwyn Jones to intervene and help resolve what they referred to as “an escalating crisis.” NHS Wales faces the same problems as in England but there is a significant difference in the approach it uses to deal with them, commented Health Minister Mark Drakeford.
Under targets that NHS Wales has set, no patient should wait that long for treatment. However, the Welsh government stated previously that the increasing waiting times were partly caused by severe winter weather. The NHS has another target, stating that 95% of patients should receive treatment within 26 weeks, but just 88% of patients in Wales were treated within this time frame.
The problem is particularly serious in three areas. The proportion of patients waiting for more than 36 weeks in Cardiff and Vale was 4.8%, in Cwm Taf it was 4.7% and in Betsi Cadwaladr it was 4.3%, the BBC reported.
It is proposed that the Welsh NHS be given extra funding of £570 million over the next three years to improve the quality of care it provides to patients.
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