THIS ISN’T JUST ABOUT WAITING FOR COVID TO GO”

Plaid Cymru calls for urgent action to tackle an NHS “locked into a vicious circle”

Today (9.30am, Thursday 20 January 2022), the latest NHS waiting times will be published, including ambulance response times, referral to treatment times, and cancer waiting times.

Speaking ahead of the release, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and care, said:

“With more and more people being added to waiting lists every day, and delayed transfers of care – our NHS is locked into a vicious circle. We can’t speed the flow of patients through the system until that is addressed, and in the meantime, our hard working health and care staff are working around the clock to keep things moving.

“Perhaps the most explicit manifestation of this clogged up system is delays to ambulances, while they wait to offload seriously ill patients into hospital care, but all areas are feeling immense strain. While Covid has certainly exacerbated the problems, these issues existed long before the pandemic. Consequently, this isn’t just about waiting for Covid to go – this requires long term solutions to overcome long standing problems.”