Surgeons call for capacity expansion and long-term workforce plan

SURGEONS have called on the next Welsh Government to expand surgical capacity and deliver a long-term workforce plan.

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Launching its 2026 Senedd election manifesto, the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), which represents surgeons across Wales and the wider UK, warns that Wales risks slipping further behind the rest of the UK unless progress on surgical hubs and workforce growth accelerates.

Despite this week's latest waiting time figures showing a decrease in the total number of patient pathways, surgeons warn progress remains too slow.

Since the waiting list reached its post-Covid peak of 802,268 in November 2024, only 89,220 pathways have been removed.