Welsh Government response to latest NHS Wales performance data

In April last year, we set a goal of eliminating the number of patient pathways waiting more than a year for their first outpatient appointment by the end of 2022. We knew this was going to be a challenge, but we really wanted to see a focused effort on this by health departments. We are disappointed that this ambitious goal, which was not set in England, has not been achieved.

We will continue to urge health authorities to focus on the longest wait times once urgent cases are dealt with.

December was one of the toughest months in NHS history, with high Covid and flu rates, huge demand due to Strep A concerns and industrial action affecting activities.

Despite the pressure, progress on planned and emergency care continues to be made in the NHS in Wales. Official statistics show that in December alone there were almost 320,000 consultations in hospitals and in one week in December primary care (GP surgeries, etc.) had contact with over 400,000 patients. We are delighted to see that, thanks to the incredible efforts of our NHS staff, the total number of patient journeys has fallen for the third straight month whilst in England this has risen.

We’re also pleased that progress continues on the longest wait times and the two-year wait time for treatment has fallen for the ninth straight month, down 36% from its peak in March. While waiting times of two years have been eliminated in many departments, there are unreasonably long waiting times in seven departments.

We continue to urge health authorities to focus on the areas where the lists are longest and explain how they intend to meet the standards of performance being achieved elsewhere in the UK.

Despite missing the outpatient target, the number of treatment pathways waiting more than a year for their first outpatient appointment fell 12.1% month-on-month in December, falling for the fourth straight month to its lowest level since January 2021. We have seen a fall of 27% from the peak reached in August 2022. Like the situation regarding long waiting times for treatment – ​​9 out of 10 of those waiting over 52 weeks relate to just seven specialties.

We are particularly relieved to see an improvement in emergency supply times in January, however the situation remains volatile, particularly given the ongoing industrial action and other concomitant risks in the system.

Fortunately, January saw reduced demand for emergency services, which, alongside targeted measures to increase capacity, including the provision of nearly 600 shared beds, allowed for improved response times for Red and Amber. Performance also improved compared to emergency department wait times of four and 12 hours, and the average time spent in emergency departments decreased to two hours and thirty-five minutes, the best since April 2021.

Although emergency care performance has improved over the last month it is not where we expect it to be, we still see far too many people experiencing delays throughout the system. We continue to drive system improvements, including expanding same-day emergency care seven days a week, improving over-the-phone management of 999 patients, and implementing operational guidelines to support hospital flow.