2 weeks Ago
By Sam Rowlands MS for North Wales Some worrying research was recently unveiled by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) who have said that corridor care in Wales is ‘endemic’. Their survey found all 12 emergency departments in Wales had patients treated in corridors or waiting areas during the survey period in January and February of this year. That really is shocking, and shows the incredible pressure that the Welsh NHS is under.
As the data shows, these aren’t just isolated incidents but rather an all too common way of doing things in medical settings. Corridor care is unacceptable and means patients aren’t getting the treatment they need. Despite the best efforts of hardworking staff on the ground, consistent mismanagement from the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay has led to these horrendous scenes.
There are also many other areas where the health system is struggling. Waiting lists are still a persistent problem, with the Welsh Government missing targets for the longest NHS waits for the third year in a row. The number of people waiting 2 years or longer for treatment is 21,087 according to the latest figures.
First Minister Eluned Morgan had previously said she'd eliminate 2-year waits by March 2023, then it was March 2024 and now promises to cut them to 8,000 by the Spring. We’ve heard it all before, literally. Additionally, patients are waiting 23.
5 weeks on average for treatment in Wales. By comparison, the average wait in England is 14.4 weeks.
Those numbers are simply not good enough and have been poor for far too many years. Across so many metrics, the health system is creaking and it’s the people of Wales who are left to suffer. Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board which serves us in North Wales is still in special measures, and there are systemic issues there that have not yet been tackled.
I want to see a focus on primary care to sort out the problems at the front end, which would relieve the problems we are seeing in hospitals and emergency settings. Wales also needs a long-term workforce plan, which simply isn’t coming from Ministers down in Cardiff. We need to fix Wales, and that includes delivering a health service that you and your family deserve.
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