‘We can’t continue with this crisis’

THIS month has seen yet more dismal figures released in relation to the healthcare system in Wales.

The highest-ever number of patients are now waiting for treatment, with a staggering one in five Welsh people on the waiting list.

More than a third (34.9%) of A&E patients aren’t being seen within the four-hour target window and only 51% of red ambulance calls are being met within the target time.

In March, Aneurin Bevan health board declared a black alert and other health boards across Wales have experienced extraordinary pressure.

None of this is the fault of our NHS staff who work tirelessly to provide the best care they can, often at great personal strain.

However, over the years, there has been some normalisation of what used to be shocking numbers. While the pandemic has undoubtedly placed a strain on local healthcare services, these problems are not new and have been a consistent feature of Welsh Labour’s running of the NHS. The delay in ambulance response times is intrinsically linked to delays in handovers at A&E departments. Delays in A&E departments are in turn linked to poor access to local health services leading to more people entering A&E at a crisis point.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have been consistently pressuring Labour on the crisis throughout the past few months including calling for Army support for the Welsh Ambulance Service to remain until the situation improves.

It is clear Labour needs to back our plans to put more money into local health services, not least in GPs. If we are to tackle this problem, we need services returned to local communities where they can act as a firewall for emergency departments, helping prevent these sort of crisis points. We cannot continue to accept this crisis as a new normal.