Ambulance and A&E waiting time targets still not being met as pressure on NHS Wales grows

New figures released show the continuing pressure facing the Welsh NHS, with A&E attendances increasing and the ambulance service failing to meet performance targets.

On average 1,228 calls were made to the Wales Ambulance Service per day last month – 3.1 per cent more than the previous month.

An average of 105 immediately life-threatening (‘red’) calls were made per day in February, making it the ninth month in a row where there were more than 100 immediately life-threatening calls made each day

The target of attending 65 per cent of red calls, where someone is in imminent danger of death e.g. having a cardiac arrest, within eight minutes, was not met.

Today’s figures also show the growing demand on hospitals across Wales, with the Welsh Government citing staff sickness absences due to coronavirus combined with winter pressures, causing continuing delays in people waiting to be seen.

In North Wales 59.5 per cent of people attending A&E were seen within the four hour target.

Across Wales the average number of attendances per day in February at emergency departments was 8.7 per cent higher than in the previous month.

The average (median) time spent in emergency departments last month increased on the previous month to three hours.

This is the third highest on record since current data collection began in April 2012.

Waiting lists for treatment are continuing to grow as the backlog caused by coronavirus pressures and staff absences adds to long delays.

Around 688,836 people were waiting to start treatment last month, leaving one in five people across Wales on the waiting list.

In January, 148,884 people across the Wales remained on the waiting list, up slightly from the 147,862 in December 2021.

Of those 76,311 had been waiting up to 26 weeks to start their treatment, 15,384 waiting 26 to 36 weeks and 57,189 waiting over 36 weeks.

Today’s figures have increased calls from opposition parties to act fast to tackle the growing pressures on the health service.

Welsh Conservative and Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said: “These sky-high numbers are devastating but not shocking because, sadly, they are becoming too common – but that cannot mean that we just accept that this is what Wales gets when it deserves so much better.

“We know that the pandemic has had a huge effect on waiting lists – not that they were great then with as they doubled in the year before Covid struck – but the excuse will eventually wear thin and become unjustifiable.

“This is all the more acute now as being stuck on a waiting list can prevent someone working or delay their return to their job, when earning a wage is all the more important when the cost of living is on the increase.”

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said it is “clear the Welsh NHS remains in crisis.”

She said: “The Welsh Government should be taking urgent steps to boost local health services and GPs in order to reduce the massive amounts of pressure on A&E departments and the backlogs that are impacting the ambulance service.

“We need to see more services moved back into local communities, which used to act as a vital buffer zone for A&E services.

“I am also extremely concerned that army support for the Welsh Ambulance Service is set to end before the close of winter.

“While I appreciate this is not the armed forces day job, now is not the time to be removing their support.

“The ambulance service is barely coping as things are and I would be extremely worried that removing the support of the army before the end of winter could worsen the waiting time crisis across Wales.”

Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for substance misuse, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, said: “Today’s updated NHS waiting times are another reminder of the immense pressure our health service continues to be under.

“It is especially concerning news as the ambulance service was already under a huge amount of pressure before restrictions were lifted.

“While freedom is to be celebrated, the resultant demand should not be.

“It’s clear that the ambulance service is struggling to meet the increase in calls – and let’s not forget that Covid has not yet gone away.

“We all have a role to play in helping prevent demand on our health services – and it’s more important than ever to see Welsh Government plans, which we understand are not due until April.

“Their plan needs to be comprehensive and address all stages – from workforce to patient flow through hospitals – as well as incorporating preventative measures to ease the burden on frontline services in the first instance.”

Responding to today’s figures a Welsh Government spokesperson said January 2022 saw the highest level of staff sickness due to COVID since April 2020.

The spokesperson said: “Unfortunately the combination of staffing, winter pressures and the ongoing Omicron wave meant some people continue to wait longer for treatment than we would like, with the over 36 week position increasing again this month.

“Consultants continue to see all patients in order of clinical priority, with the most urgent patients seen first.

“We are also focusing on long waiters and the January figure for waits over a year has shown a 2% decrease compared to December and is the lowest since August 2021.

“As ever cancer services are in high demand referrals to cancer services have increased from December 2021.

“Whilst the number of patients starting cancer treatments decreased in January 2022, the number of patients told they do not have cancer increased on previous months with over 11,500 patients informed they do not have cancer.

“This is in part due to the opening of Rapid Diagnostic Centres (RDC) across Wales which have helped to diagnose patients with concerning symptoms more quickly.

“These clinics coupled with the £248m to support our NHS recovery plan, will help us to reduce waiting times for cancer services in the coming months.

“In April we will publish a detailed plan on how we will tackle the waiting times for patients whose treatment has been delayed by the pandemic.”