£28m investment to help cut hospital waiting times in Wales
Wales Health Secretary announces £28m to help the NHS cut the longest waiting times
Last updated 24th Oct 2024
The Welsh Government have said the £28 million will help pay for more evening and weekend appointments and regional working to target waiting times in specialties such as orthopaedics, ophthalmology, general surgery and gynaecology.
Health boards will also free-up outpatient appointments for new patients to be seen by reducing the number of automatic follow-ups in cases where they are not needed.
These interventions will cut the number of people waiting more than two years for treatment, waiting times for a first outpatient appointment and ensure more people receive diagnostic tests in eight weeks.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles said:
"Reducing waiting times is a national priority – for people across Wales, for us and the NHS."
"This new funding will be used by health boards to deliver a range of schemes that will start almost immediately."
"They will target the longest waits in orthopaedics, general surgery, ophthalmology and gynaecology by increasing capacity for more people to be seen and treated through overtime and more regional working."
Nicola Prygodzicz, CEO of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said.
"We are incredibly grateful to the Welsh Government for this significant investment, which will make a real difference in reducing waiting times for patients across Gwent. "
"This investment supports our continued efforts to provide timely, high-quality care for our communities."
The number of patient pathways increased from 796,631 in July to 800,163 in August, the highest figure on record, this is the equivalent of 1-in-4 of the Welsh population.