Two-year NHS waits rise again

THE number of two-year waits for treatment on the NHS in Wales has gone up again.

- RUTH MOSALSKI Political editor [e-mail]

The First Minister has made eliminating the longest waits a central pledge yet the latest waiting times figures for Wales show the number has risen again. The huge amount of time people are waiting for treatment in Wales means thousands are living, and in some cases dying, in pain.

If someone is waiting for more than two different treatments for over two years, they will be recorded on this list twice.

In April, the number was 9,925, rising to 10,254 in May before a dramatic drop to 7,447 in June. Since then it has risen twice, to 8.005 in July and 8,703 in August. In England, just 168 cases were waiting more than 104 weeks.

There are some caveats to be made between directly comparing the two figures between England and Wales, but there is clearly a vast difference between these figures.