The latest NHS statistics for Wales revealed NHS treatment waiting lists remain at 793,058 pathways, the equivalent of nearly 1-in-4 Welsh people.
The disparity in two-year NHS waits for treatment between Wales and England is still large, with NHS Wales two-year waits rising to 8,005, compared with 244 in England.
The Labour Health Minister, now First Minister, Eluned Morgan promised to eliminate these waits for the last two years (by March 2023 and again by March 2024), but failed to meet these targets and still has not.
Commenting on the latest statistics, James Evans MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said:
“These figures represent yet another abysmal failure by the Welsh Labour Government, the longest waits are rising and progress is being lost yet again.
“Labour is throwing more and more money at this problem, but isn’t seeing results. We need to see red tape, the ballooning bureaucracy and wasteful spending cut. We don’t need more middle managers – focus on the frontline.
“The Welsh Conservatives would guarantee one-year maximum waits for treatment and introduce a seven-day maximum GP wait guarantee.”
