Opposition Senedd members accused Wales’ new first minister Eluned Morgan of passing the buck as latest statistics showed record-long waiting lists.
Mabon ap Gwynfor pointed out that six Labour frontbenchers have held the health portfolio over the past 25 years, including the current and two former first ministers.
The Plaid Cymru shadow health secretary said: “Although we have seen different faces coming and going over the summer, it’s the same old story when it comes to the health service.
“Standards going down, waiting times getting longer, staff being pushed to the extreme, and from the government? – nothing but repeated empty promises.”
Mr ap Gwynfor, who represents Dwyfor Meironnydd, accused ministers of putting the horse before the cart by “fixating” on outcomes without first plotting a credible path.
Leading a Plaid Cymru debate, he criticised Eluned Morgan for pointing the finger at health board executives, saying it typifies a tendency to blame everyone else.
‘Passing the buck’
Sam Rowlands, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, similarly accused the first minister of passing the buck to NHS executives.
He said: “Health boards have a big job to do to work through these waiting lists but a first minister and a government must not abdicate its responsibility,”
Pointing out that the Welsh Government previously cut the health budget, he urged ministers to spend the full 20% uplift from spending in England on NHS Wales.
Mr Rowlands, who represents North Wales, warned the Welsh health service is worse on every major metric, with 23,000 people on waiting lists for more than two years.
The former council leader highlighted the Darzi review of the NHS in England as he called for a similar independent investigation in Wales.
‘Disastrous’
Rhun ap Iorwerth also focused on the “damning” Darzi report.
He said: “Keir Starmer is right … the situation in England is disastrous … more than 10% of the population of England on waiting lists. But in Wales, of course, the figure is 20%.”
Mr ap Iorwerth reiterated his party’s calls for the Welsh Government to declare a health crisis but he accused ministers of being unwilling to recognise the gravity of the situation.
He asked: “If it’s not an emergency, then how can the situation be described?
“And how can Labour describe a situation in England as a crisis when the situation in Wales in so many ways is so much worse?”
The Ynys Môn MS said 316 people were waiting a year for their first appointment in 2012, with the corresponding figure now standing at more than 74,000.
‘Heavy lifting’
Jenny Rathbone, a Labour backbencher, accused the Conservatives of being unfair to Baroness Morgan by failing to recognise the “heavy lifting” she did as health minister.
The Cardiff Central MS stressed the importance of community social care, saying hundreds of people medically do not need to be in the University Hospital of Wales in Heath, Cardiff.
Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams accused the UK Government of continuing to apply austerity. She said studies show poverty makes people ill, so austerity is damaging people’s health.
Her party colleague Cefin Campbell warned children and young people are suffering most as a result of the Welsh Government’s “persistent inability to reduce waiting lists”.
Mr Campbell told the chamber at least 8,200 children and young people have been waiting more than a year, with 1,200 waiting at least two years.
He said: “The situation is particularly severe in Betsi Cadwaladr, where 62% of people under the age of 18 are having to wait longer than two years. 62% – it’s shameful.”
‘Long shadow’
Wales’ new health secretary Jeremy Miles told the debate on September 18 that cutting waiting times is at the top of his to-do list after his appointment a week earlier.
Mr Miles told the chamber long waiting times are a result of the pandemic and a decade of austerity which “cast a long shadow”.
The former Welsh Labour leadership contender claimed work to reduce waiting times is having an impact despite financial pressures and a significant increase in demand.
He said: “Long waits of over two years have reduced by 67% since its high point in March 2022, and long waits for diagnostic tests have reduced by almost a third.
“Now, around 3% of people on waiting lists are waiting longer than two years compared with almost 10% in March 2022.”
The health secretary said the Welsh Government’s recovery plan is driving waits down as he pointed to an extra £900m for the NHS this year and last.
‘Delete all’
Mr Miles, who previously held responsibility for education and the economy, recognised there is too much variation across Wales in terms of productivity and performance.
Highlighting a new waiting times bulletin, he said: “It will help us identify good performance and where health boards need to do more to learn from those making the best progress.”
The Neath MS said the NHS will introduce a “one-stop” approach to reduce the number of appointments needed and streamline pathways by removing unnecessary steps.
Mr ap Gwynfor was disappointed by the health secretary’s response, accusing Labour of continuing an austerity agenda and failing to provide a fair funding settlement for Wales.
Plaid Cymru’s motion was narrowly defeated, 23-24, with the Conservatives voting in favour and Labour against. The Welsh Government’s “delete-all” amendment was agreed.
What do the latest statistics show?
Monthly NHS performance data, published this morning, shows some improvements but overall waiting lists continue to worsen.
The headline figure for patient pathways – which include people waiting for more than one treatment – was 796,600 waiting to start treatment – the highest on record.
This is estimated to equate to 616,700 people, another unwelcome record.
The number of immediately life-threatening “red” calls responded to within eight minutes was up 3.6% to 51.8% on the previous month. But this remains short of the 65% target.
In Wales’ emergency departments, the number of patients spending less than four hours in A&E remained flat at 69.3% against a target of 95%.
The health service also missed a target of no patient waiting more than 12 hours, with 9,489 waiting at least 12 hours, though this metric improved by 6.6% in August.
But the number of pathways waiting more than a year for a first outpatient appointment worsened, with a 2.6% increase to 76,132.
Performance against a target of 75% of cancer patients starting treatment within 62 days declined to 55% in July, down 1.7% on the previous month and 3.2% annually.