The scale of the horrific problem facing people in Wales waiting for hospital treatment has been revealed in new figures showing there are more than 60,000 cases in which people have been referred for treatment but have had to wait more than two years.
Health bosses in England recently published new figures showing that the problem of two-year-plus waits appears to have been dealt with across the border. There are now fewer than 200 open waits for treatment in England where the referral happened over two years ago. In Scotland, figures in the summer showed more than 10,000 patients had been waiting more than two years for treatment.
However the problem in Wales, which is significantly smaller than either Scotland or England, appears to be several orders of magnitude worse. According to the latest Welsh Government data (which runs to the end of July), there are 60,000 open cases in the NHS system where people have been referred for treatment and are still waiting more than two years on. These are called 'patient pathways'
