Statistics released today (Friday 24th May) show that 23.7% of patients – that’s 21,381 people – had to wait longer than the four hour target.
That’s the highest percentage since March 2018, when NHS Wales had the lowest rate of people being seen within four hours on record. This means April 2019 is the third worst month for emergency departments in Welsh hospitals ever.
5,109 patients had to wait longer than 12 hours to be seen in A&Es in Wales.
The Welsh Government target is to see 95% of patients within four hours has been in place since 2008. It has never been met.
Maintaining its place as the worst performing health board in Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr UHB saw less than three in ten patients within four hours. The North Wales health board is weeks away from its fourth anniversary in Special Measures.
Wrexham Maelor hospital – which consistently has one of the worst performing Accident & Emergency departments in Wales – only saw half of its patients within four hours.
It follows news that a the Welsh Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee said the progress made to leave that emergency state – which means direct Welsh Government control – has been “unacceptably slow”. The committee also suggested this could be the new “normal state of affairs”.
Commenting on the news is Acting Shadow Health spokesperson, Darren Millar AM, who said:
“While today's political events will be holding the attention of many people, we mustn't overlook these dreadful figures and remind people who is responsible for them.
“The performance of the Welsh Labour Government’s NHS continues to let patients and their loved ones in Wales down, especially in the North, but is often ignored because poor results have become the new normal.
“It's high time that the Labour Health Minister accepted his responsibility for failing to get to grips with the problems in our health service Wales and resigned.”