Wales has launched a £120 million package to fund the reduction of long wait times and the size of waiting lists in the NHS by 200,000, according to an announcement made by health secretary, Jeremy Miles.
“Tackling waiting times is our number one priority,” the health secretary said, having outlined a new care recovery plan for the region. The plan aims to eliminate all two-year waits, cut waiting lists by 200,000 and restore diagnostic wait times to under eight weeks by March 2026. There are also plans to use the funding as a way to “provide more outpatient appointments, more diagnostic tests and more treatments”, which includes the addition of more than 20,000 cataract operations.
As part of the new plan, changes are expected across all health boards within Wales, with the aim to offer services that will support an “increase in productivity and efficiency and reduce variation”. Notable requirements include reducing automatic follow-up appointments, having a minimum of seven cataract procedures per list by the end of September 2025 and removing extra steps that “do not add benefit or value to a patient’s healthcare journey”.
Commenting on the plan, Jeremy Miles said, “We have seen long waiting times fall by two-thirds over the last 4 months. We will build on this progress and go further. This additional funding will help deliver what people want – faster access to treatment. I am determined to work with health boards to deliver a stronger and more sustainable NHS for the people of Wales. These service improvements, together with the extra funding, will help to provide better access for patients to planned care.”
Healthcare updates in Wales
Digital Health and Care Wales recently opened a market engagement exercise exploring the product availability for an integrated care record to be used across NHS Wales. They have been looking to learn more information about the digital solutions that can help “ensure that patients and citizens benefit from access to health and care information, regardless of where it is created or stored”.
The Welsh government awarded £17 million to Betsi Cadwaladr and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Boards following successful business cases for digitising mental health services patient record systems. The project aims to support continuity of care for patients, speed up referrals, allow more time for care and help “eliminate errors which can occur within paper recording systems”.
In April, Care Inspectorate Wales launched an inspection rating system for care services to help “better understand the quality of care provided” and support informed decisions. The system evaluates four key areas: well-being; care and support; leadership and management; and the environment, determining whether the services provided are excellent, good, require improvement or require significant improvement.
Earlier in the year, the Welsh electronic maternity record started a national roll-out, first to Aneurin Bevan University and Cardiff and Vale University health boards, with plans for the digital system to be available across all health boards by March 2026. An app has also been introduced to allow women access to their full maternity records, see tailored updates after every appointment and learn about their baby’s development and progress, as a way to personalise their care.
