More than 700,000 people are now on a waiting list for non-urgent treatment on the Welsh NHS, it has been revealed. Latest data from the Welsh Government shows the number of patients awaiting elective care hit record levels for the 23rd month in a row.
In March there were 701,418 patients on the waiting list – a rise from the 691,885 recorded in February and way up on the 456,809 seen just before the pandemic hit in March 2020. More than a quarter of a million people (253,177) currently on an NHS Wales waiting list have been on it for nine months or more, up on the 251,647 recorded the month before. In comparison there were only 28,294 waiting this long in March 2020.
The Welsh Government wants 95% of patients to wait less than six months (26 weeks) and no-one to wait nine months (36 weeks) from referral to treatment. But when ministers made the decision to cancel all non-urgent outpatients and appointments to focus on Covid cases in March 2020 these waiting lists rocketed.
