News: First Minister hails record low waiting times in Wales

12 November 2009, Welsh Assembly Government

First Minister Rhodri Morgan today congratulated the NHS on progress made in ensuring faster access to treatment.

In a speech to the Welsh NHS Confederation, the First Minister said:

"When the Welsh Assembly Government made its pledge in March 2005 to reduce waiting times to a maximum of 26 weeks from GP referral to treatment, it was a truly ambitious commitment.

"Five years ago we had in excess of 100,000 patients in Wales waiting over six months for treatment. Of these, almost 8,000 patients were waiting over 18 months and in a few extreme examples, some patients were waiting up to five years for definitive treatment.

"Thanks to the hard work of NHS staff and more than £300m investment from the Assembly Government, we're now seeing record low levels of waiting times.

"The latest figures, published this morning, show that at the end of September, more than nine in 10 patients are treated within 26 weeks from initial referral to definitive treatment, with many patients treated far quicker than that.

"That just goes to show how far we've come, and it means that the NHS is on track to achieve the maximum 26 week target by the end of the December this year, subject to the usual caveat about swine flu pandemics and other external factors we can't predict.

"These are of course more than just statistics. Every cancer patient treated faster, for example, means an increased chance of survival. The achievement of the NHS in reducing waits is leading to better health outcomes for patients.

"There now needs to be a real focus to ensure the target is delivered and then sustained. This will require building on the existing success by ensuring clinicians are central to improving access across all care pathways."

Link to statistics:
Referral to Treatment, September 2009 (Internet Version)