Nearly 75,000 people are waiting a year or more for an outpatient appointment when there should be one, according to the latest NHS Wales performance data. The outpatient target - first target to tackle the NHS backlog following the coronavirus pandemic - has been missed.
Last April, the Welsh Government had set a post-Covid target to see nobody waiting more than one year for a first appointment by the end of 2022. However, the number of people waiting stood at 74,976. Over half of those waiting more than a year fell under three specialist areas - ophthalmology, ear nose and throat (ENT), and trauma and orthopaedics.
The Welsh Government has said that it is "disappointed that this ambitious target, which was not set in England, has not been met," and that it will continue to press health boards to focus on those waiting the longest once urgent cases have been dealt with.
