CUTTING NHS WAITING LISTS

Long waiting lists for the NHS in Wales have become a big problem, with over 600,000 people waiting for treatment. Many have to wait more than a year, and things are only getting worse. Plaid Cymru has a five-point plan to help fix this issue and make sure people get the care they need.

1. Local Treatment Centres (to get people on waiting lists treated faster)

Emergency care often takes resources away from planned treatments, causing long waits. Plaid Cymru would set up temporary treatment centre in existing hospitals, each focused on a specific type of care. By reorganising staff and using underused hospital spaces, we could reduce waiting lists by up to 30% without needing new buildings or extra staff.

 

2. Speed Up Referrals

The referral process in Wales' NHS is slow and inefficient, partly due to a shortage of GPs. Plaid Cymru plans to address this by creating a special team to   speed up referrals and quickly match patients with the right doctors. This would remove unnecessary cases from waiting lists, and support doctors with weekend approvals to free up space. This could clear up to 60% of backlogs in some areas, like dermatology.

 

3. Make Health Boards Work Together

We’ll make sure hospitals share resources and work as a team so patients can be treated faster, no matter where they live. Wales' health boards aren't working together as well as they should, leading to poor coordination and wasted resources. Plaid Cymru would introduce emergency laws to make health boards work together better and share resources more effectively.

 

4. Better Waiting List Planning

Plaid Cymru plans to improve how waiting lists are managed by setting staffing levels before treatments are planned, based on successful models like those in Aneurin Bevan. We’ll create national guidelines for managing waiting lists and use a team-based approach for patient assessments, such as whole-body check-ups by GPs to spot conditions early.

 

5. Use Technology to Help Patients

Plaid Cymru plans to use technology to improve care for patients on waiting lists. Many don’t need surgery but need better support to manage their conditions. We’ll use digital tools to help patients track and manage their care, and allow doctors to monitor them remotely. The Executive Triage Service will help sort through waiting lists and make sure resources are used efficiently, providing faster care and reducing unnecessary delays. This will create a support layer between GPs and specialists, filling a gap in current care.