The Shadow Minister for North Wales – Mark Isherwood MS – has joined other Welsh Conservatives in voicing his concerns over the growing backlog of diagnoses and treatment start times in Wales, especially cancer.
Mr Isherwood, who is also Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Communities and Chairs a number of health and disability-related Cross Party Groups in the Welsh Parliament, said:
“Earlier this month, I met campaigners from Macmillan Cancer Support to discuss their lived experience of the impact the Coronavirus pandemic is having on cancer services in Wales. Macmillan’s ‘Forgotten C’ campaign aims to make sure that people living with cancer are not left behind amid the pandemic.
“However, I have had correspondence from a resident in North Wales this week detailing their grave concerns about delays in Cancer Diagnostic Tests and ‘the growing backlog of urgent non-Coronavirus patients who have been put to the back of the queue', before asking for the same level of service as offered 20 miles way in England.
“Another – within the troubled Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – has had his cataract operation postponed indefinitely.
“Another has questioned a four-week wait for a blood test in North Wales compared to just a day’s wait in England. Another was put on a waiting list for an operation in January but has been told him that non-urgent operations won't be proceeding for months, yet similar operations postponed in England, although behind schedule, are getting back to normal.
“More and more constituents are asking ‘What is the reason for this disparity between Wales and England?’ in terms of how fast diagnoses are made and treatment resumes. As my Welsh Conservative colleague Paul Davies MS, the Leader of the Opposition, said earlier today, lives are in the balance in Wales.
“The responsibility for lives lost because of lack of action will fall squarely on the shoulders of the First Minister, the Welsh Health Minister and their Party.”