The Leader of the Opposition told Mark Drakeford that there is a “cost-of-living crisis” in the Labour-run NHS in Wales after he called for patients to be able to choose treatments away from local surgical sites.
Previously, there was a “second offer” scheme in Wales where patients facing very long waits at their local surgical sites could go somewhere else, but it is no longer in place.
Commenting after FMQs, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS said:
“Labour cannot give a straight answer when it comes to their record on the NHS.
“When asked about the results of a health summit from the summer, Mark Drakeford deferred the answer to a minister for another time. On regional surgical hubs, we learned there aren’t any. On a new second offer scheme, there were excuses.
“Addressing the NHS treatment backlog is not easy, but the people of Wales deserve the same level of leadership on this as elsewhere in the UK – for example, in England, two-year waits have been eliminated and 50 surgical hubs are being added to the 91 already in place.
“Earlier today, the Labour Government released a statement about a duty of candour in the NHS – maybe it should practice what it preaches and admit it is not adopting viable solutions to the record-long waiting lists.”
A fifth of the Welsh population are on an NHS waiting list, with 1-in-4 of these waiting over a year, and 62,000 patients waiting over two years. This compares to an eighth of the English population, with 1-in-20 waiting over a year. Two-year waits have been eliminated there.
The Welsh Conservatives have long called for regional surgical hubs to address the record-long waiting lists – dedicated sites for NHS treatment – but the First Minister did not confirm any locations where the definition is met.