The number of Welsh people waiting more than two years for
treatment fell to the lowest level since March 2021 in June, the
latest NHS figures show.
Just over 7,400 pathways were waiting more than two years –
almost 90% lower than at the peak, and a 27.4% decrease on May.
The figures also show a reduction of more than 2,000 on the
overall waiting list.
For the first time today, the Welsh Government is publishing
provisional waiting times data for the following month to provide
people with more up-to-date information. The provisional data for
July indicates a slight increase in long waits but the overall
trend continues downwards.
Health Secretary said: “It is
encouraging to see the number of people waiting more than two
years is at its lowest for more than four years.
“And I'm pleased to see a fall in the overall waiting list too.
“We expect to see some fluctuations in the number of long waits
from month to month – that reflects in part the variation in the
numbers of people who came onto the list two years ago, but I am
confident there will be significant further reductions by the end
of the next quarter in September, keeping us on track with our
plan to bring down the longest waits.
“I know health boards are working very hard to bring waits down
and I can see the impact of this in the numbers of additional
treatments being carried out. We need to make sure this continues
over the months ahead.”
The Welsh Government is supporting health boards with a £120m
plan to reduce the overall waiting list by 200,000, eliminate
two-year waits and restore the eight-week diagnostic waiting
target by March 2026. Health boards have also introduced a series
of measures to improve productivity and core activity.
Today's NHS performance figures also show emergency NHS services
continue to respond to very high levels of demand. In July, there
were just under 101,900 attendances to all emergency departments
in Wales – an average of 3,287 a day. This was the highest number
on record.
The Health Secretary will be visiting Neath Port Talbot
Hospital's minor injuries unit today (Thursday 21 August) where
he will be encouraging people to seek the right care from the
right service.
Minor injuries units can treat people with non-life-threatening
issues, such as sprains and minor burns. They can provide fast
and appropriate care, helping to free up emergency department
doctors and nurses to focus on more serious cases.
The latest data released today also shows there were fewer
ambulance patient handover delays at emergency departments in
every health board in July compared to June 2025 and a year
ago.
In July, there was an 18% reduction in the time it takes for the
ambulance service to transfer patients to the care of an
emergency department compared with the previous month, and a fall
of 36.1% compared to June 2024. Handover times are at their
lowest since July 2021.
More than half of people (59.7%) were handed over to the care of
emergency department staff in less than 45 minutes in July, an
increase of 6.1% compared with the previous month.
The national taskforce, which has been established to reduce
ambulance patient handover delays, will look to ensure these
improvements are maintained.
July was the first month the new purple and red categories were
introduced by the Welsh Ambulance Service for out-of-hospital
cardiac arrest and life-threatening emergencies for people at
high risk of cardiac or respiratory arrest, respectively.
There were 814 purple calls, just over 2% of all calls, and 4,449
red calls, which accounted for 12.6% of all calls.
Health Secretary added: “I am
pleased to see continued improvements in the ambulance handover
times and while there was a dip in the cancer performance, this
is the fifth month in a row it has been above 60%.
“Ensuring people seek the right care from the right service will
help support our NHS when it is under pressure. Emergency
departments are open 24/7 for people with life-threatening
emergencies. Minor injury units provide safe and effective care –
and often faster treatment – for people who have less serious
injuries.
“I encourage everyone to think about the care they need – an
emergency department isn't the answer for everything. If you need
advice or help you can call 111 or access the 111 website.
“I want to thank all the staff working in the NHS for continuing
to provide the best possible care for everyone who needs
it.”
