One in five in Wales on NHS waiting list
AROUND a fifth of the entire Welsh population is now on a waiting list for NHS treatment, latest figures have revealed.
Updated Welsh Government statistics show that 624,909 people in Wales were waiting for an appointment or procedure in June 2021, the highest number since records began and up by 41% since the early days of the Covid pandemic.
More than a third (233,210) of people have been on the list for 36 weeks (nine months) or more - a figure which has risen incredibly sharply since the Welsh Government decided to halt all non-urgent appointments and procedures in March 2020.
To put this into context, just 25,634 patients were spending in excess of 36 weeks on the NHS Wales waiting list in February 2020 before the pandemic hit, meaning there has been an increase of 810% in the longest waits over the last 16 months.
Those needing hip and knee replacements, gallbladder removals and hernia operations and currently facing the longest waits in Wales.
Surgeons have warned of further increases to waiting times without “significant and sustained investment” in Covid-light surgical hubs and training more surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists.
The Royal College of Surgeons of England said a number of pressures are continuing to affect the recovery of surgery in Wales including high demand in A&E departments, delayed discharges of care and staff absences due to isolation and delayed annual leave.
Mr Richard Johnson, director for Wales of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said “To restore timely treatment for patients and ensure a more sustainable system, we need a plan that includes significant and sustained investment in base line capacity to establish surgical hubs and the surgical staff needed. Otherwise waiting lists in Wales will continue to grow.
“This can’t be allowed to happen. We have already seen calls for major investment in both England and Northern Ireland. There is a real risk Wales slips behind.
“Although summer is traditionally a quieter time, NHS services in Wales are under considerable pressure. This is making it incredibly difficult to get back to pre-pandemic levels of operating. Areas with Covid-light surgical hubs have been able to continue operating through the pandemic, so we need more investment in this model, and in the staff to support it.”
Meanwhile A&E waiting time performance was also the worst on record, with only 69.8% of patients spending less than four hours before being admitted, transferred or discharged.
Some 7,084 patients spent longer than 12 hours in an emergency department before being deal with, which equates to 7.5%.
Ysbyty Glan Clwyd (17.5%), Wrexham Maelor Hospital (16.3%) and Morriston Hospital in Swansea (13.8%) had the highest proportion of patients waiting 12 hours or more last month.
Dr Suresh Pillai, vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Wales, said “There can be no doubt about it, the health service is in a severely challenging situation. The current pressures on staff and departments are unrelenting. Performance has deteriorated for the second consecutive month.
“When performance deteriorates, it is patients who may suffer, and their safety put at risk. Longer waiting times can lead to worse health outcomes. With Covid still present in the community, crowded spaces can put those who are yet to be vaccinated and vulnerable patients at risk. It is unacceptable, our duty is to our patients, to deliver high-quality effective care, right now, the current pressures are challenging our ability to do so.
“We are quickly approaching autumn and winter when these pressures and demand are likely to further increase. Staff are already facing burnout, exhaustion, stress and moral injury. The health service and its workforce need the assurance that there is a robust and comprehensive plan to manage this likely increase in demand and provide adequate resources for staff and departments.
“The government must look on the data, the record emergency department attendances and deteriorating performance, the record numbers of patients waiting for surgery, the pressures on GPs, and realise that without a comprehensive plan and substantial support there is a threat that the health service, in the face of a harsh winter, may not be able to cope.
“In the meantime, NHS health boards must expand capacity where possible, continue driving infection prevention control measures, and ensure there are clear lines of communication between specialities and departments to maximise flow. Life may have returned to normal for some people, but for health workers, it is a really difficult time.”
The latest figures also show that the Welsh Ambulance Trust received more calls in July than in any month since the pandemic began - with the highest proportion of “red” calls, those immediately life-threatening emergencies, on record.
The Welsh Government confirmed on Thursday that it is pledging £551m to help health and social services recover from the pandemic.
Encouragingly, cancer patients who started their first definitive treatment within 62 days of it first being suspected was the second highest number on record, although performance against the 62-day target fell slightly on the previous month.
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said “Waiting times for treatment continue to grow. However, it is encouraging to see progress being made with the number of patients waiting over 52 weeks falling for the third month in a row. We also saw the largest number of specialist consultations completed and treatments started in any month since the start of the pandemic.
“The total number of patients starting their first cancer treatment and the number of patients starting treatment within the target time were the second highest since the current records began.
“We’ve announced a further £140m to help NHS Wales tackle the treatment backlog built up during the Covid pandemic.
“This is on top of the initial £100m announced in May.
“Pressures on our emergency services are also growing.
“The ambulance service received more calls last month than in any month since the pandemic began. Attendance at emergency departments was also the highest since the start of the pandemic.
“We encourage people to consider the best options for care, and not necessarily head to their local emergency department. To get the right care, first time people can also use the online 111 service and their local pharmacist where appropriate.
“Last month the health minister announced plans to transform the delivery of urgent and emergency care, supported by £25m a year. We are working with health boards to deliver these plans well ahead of winter.”