An additional 15,000 outpatient appointments are being delivered across Wales this month as part of the Welsh Government’s £120 million year-long plan to tackle long NHS waiting times and reduce the backlog.
The extra appointments go beyond core NHS activity and are part of a wider strategy to improve access to care, including more than 20,000 additional cataract operations by March 2026.
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles has visited Llandough Hospital to meet patients benefitting from the increased cataract activity. In Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, the number of ophthalmology pathways waiting over 52 weeks has dropped by 34%compared to July 2024.
- Ambulance handover delays in August were the second lowest since July 2021.
- Average triage time in emergency departments was 16 minutes, the best recorded since February 2021.
- 27.4% of cardiac arrest patients had a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) on arrival at hospital — a 6 percentage point improvement from July.
Jeremy Miles, Welsh Health Secretary, commented:
“The extra £120 million I announced in June aims to deliver what people want – faster treatment.
“This month, 15,000 extra outpatient appointments are being provided across Wales which shows how we are increasing activity all over the country to ensure people are being seen quicker.
“In July, there were an average of just over 5,000 referrals for a first outpatient appointment a day, which is the highest figure on record and demonstrates the scale of demand for NHS care.
“We are expecting to see fluctuations in the month on month statistics. I remain confident we will see a significant reduction in long waits by the end of the second quarter.
“I want to thank the NHS workforce for their commitment and ongoing efforts to reduce long waiting times.”
Alongside that improvement, cancer care was boosted with the 62-day cancer target performance remaining above 60% for the sixth consecutive month, whilst in July, 2,301 people began cancer treatment — the highest figure on record. Over 15,780 people also received confirmation they did not have cancer — the second highest figure ever recorded.
These improvements reflect the NHS’s ongoing commitment to reducing long waits, improving emergency care, and delivering faster, more effective treatment for patients across Wales.
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