A new report from the public spending watchdog says that NHS Wales could take seven years or more to return its waiting list to pre-pandemic levels. The watchdog's modelling showed 700,000 patients were waiting for planned care in February 2022, double the number waiting in 2020.
Additionally, the report estimated that there are 550,000 "potentially missing" referrals in Wales that could find their way back into the system and have a "major effect" on waiting list recovery. Auditor General Adrian Crompton said "concerted action" would be needed on many fronts to overcome the challenges facing the health service here.
He said: "The Covid-19 pandemic will leave the NHS with many enduring legacies not least the significant impact it has had on waiting times for planned care. Just as the NHS rose to the challenge of the pandemic, it will need to rise to the challenge of tackling a waiting list which has grown to huge proportions."
