Assembly Member for Aberconwy, Janet Finch-Saunders, has called on the Welsh Government to up their game on health care performance for the people of Wales.

Speaking just weeks ahead of the 18th anniversary of Welsh Labour coming into power in the Welsh Government (variously as a stand-alone party, or in coalition since 1999), Janet said:

“The systematic failure of Welsh Labour in government is evident in the crisis facing our healthcare system – 1 in 7 are lingering on a waiting list, and 127 patients are currently left waiting more than 105 weeks for treatment they urgently need.

“It isn’t hard to see why the Nuffield Trust has said that these lengthening waiting times should ‘set alarm bells ringing’ for policy-makers.

“Here in north Wales, I am approached almost daily by constituents concerned about the length of time they are forced to wait for vital operations and treatments – the increase of 5,000% in delays to waiting times for orthopaedic treatment is just one such example.

“Since the Welsh Labour Government took Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board into special measures, the number of patients waiting over 36 weeks for treatment have risen by 983% in orthodontics, 388% in anaesthetics, and 267% in cardiothoracic surgery.

“It is time that Labour proved to the people of Wales that they are on side and working for them, but their track record to date does not make a compelling case.”

ENDS

Notes

Statistics on waiting times taken from May 2015 – Jan 2017, available on StatsWales: Patient pathways waiting to start treatment by month and grouped weeks