Welsh NHS likely to miss waiting lists target ahead of crucial election
Summary
The Welsh NHS is expected to miss key targets to reduce patient waiting times before the upcoming election. Despite increased funding and some progress, many people are still waiting too long for treatments and diagnostic tests.Key Facts
- The Welsh government set targets to cut waiting lists by 200,000 and eliminate waits of two years or more.
- Another target is to ensure no one waits more than eight weeks for diagnostic tests.
- These targets were announced by Health Secretary Jeremy Miles in April 2025.
- The NHS in north Wales faces the biggest challenges, with about 69% of very long waits happening there.
- More than 48,000 people waited over eight weeks for diagnostic tests at the start of the year.
- The Welsh government added £120 million funding to improve outpatient appointments and treatments.
- Official data, released just before the 7 May election, shows waiting lists have fallen for eight months in a row but targets are still unlikely to be met.
- The government began publishing provisional data early to provide more current information before the election.
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