- Clinically led approach to clear longest waits and bring the
overall waiting list down to pre-pandemic levels before the end
of this Senedd term.
- More surgical capacity targeting the specialities where waits
are longest.
- Improvements to how patients are referred and how follow-up
appointments are managed, freeing up tens of thousands of spaces.
The Welsh Government is today (Thursday 3 September) setting out
how significant funding will cut the NHS Wales waiting list and
end two-year waits for treatment.
Health and Care Minister recently announced an
extra £145m is being invested in NHS Wales this financial year.
The funding includes £100m to support the Welsh Government's aims
of reducing NHS waiting times, £25m in new surgical and
diagnostic hubs, and £20m on essential maintenance across the NHS
estate.
The clinically led approach being announced sets out how Health
Boards will work together to target the longest waits, improve
productivity, expand sustainable capacity and continue
transforming planned care services.
This will be key in reducing waiting times and bring the overall
waiting list to pre-pandemic levels before the end of this Senedd
term.
For patients, this means a health service that focuses on getting
people assessed, diagnosed and treated quicker, rather than
spending months or years moving between different stages of the
system.
Health Boards, working together, will see more surgical capacity,
including at weekends, targeting the specialities where waits are
longest.
Referrals will be also reviewed earlier so people receive the
right advice, tests or treatment first time. Earlier clinical
review can help avoid unnecessary delays, direct patients to the
most appropriate pathway and ensure available capacity is focused
where it is needed most.
Many patients attend routine follow-ups they no longer need. The
new approach will see patients contact services when they need
support rather than attending appointments they may not need,
freeing up tens of thousands of appointments for other clinical
activity including for those waiting to be seen for the first
time.
Faster scanning and testing will be central to the approach, with
investment in diagnostic capacity and digital tools to cut the
time between referral and diagnosis.
New standards will also make sure people who have waited longest
are treated next, unless there's a clear clinical reason to
prioritise someone else.
will visit Nevill Hall
Hospital in Abergavenny today to meet staff and see the theatres,
regional cataract hub and endoscopy facilities.
He said: "Waiting two years for planned care is not acceptable.
This investment is tied to Health Boards changing how they work,
permanently, so the progress I expect to see doesn't slip back as
it has in the past. That's the difference between a short-term
fix and lasting change.
"Patients should receive timely advice, diagnosis and treatment
through services that are designed around their needs, not around
organisational boundaries.
"Alongside additional capacity, we are supporting changes that
make services more sustainable, including better referral
management, increased diagnostic capacity, more surgical hub
activity and improved follow-up arrangements.
"None of this is possible without the hard work and expertise of
NHS staff. Their leadership sits at the heart of this approach,
and every Health Board must now work together to deliver further
improvements for patients."
NHS Wales national clinical directors of planned care and
consultant surgeons, Richard Egan and Ken Harries said: We
welcome today's announcement. It's particularly pleasing to see
the clear focus on modernisation and sustainability.
This approach can see the service transformation required to
deliver high quality, prudent, and efficient care for the people
of Wales.
This investment will enable effective use of current capacity,
the development of efficient surgical and diagnostic hubs, and
significant reductions in waiting times.
