Written question WQ89176
- Asked by
- Rhys ab OwenIndependent
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 8 days
Question
How will the Welsh Government improve waiting times for trauma and orthopaedic treatment, with 36 per cent of patients currently waiting over a year for treatment in Wales?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services
It is the NHS which will improve waiting times for trauma and orthopaedic, in line with Welsh Government’s national policy and ambitions. Since publishing our national planned care recovery plan April 2022, Transforming and modernising planned care and reducing NHS waiting lists, orthopaedic waiting times have shown significant improvements.
Our priority has been the reduction in long waits, and there has been a reduction of 11,679 pathways (57%) waiting more than two years, down from 20,445 in March 2022 to 8,766 in July 2023. The number of pathways waiting more than one year has also fallen, down by 15,644 (34%) since the peak in March 2021.
Currently, 31% of pathways are waiting more than one year, down from 54% in March 2021. Pathways waiting longer than one year for a first outpatient appointment have also fallen significantly, down by 70% since the peak in October 2021.
To drive further improvement, the Welsh Government and the NHS have agreed a clinically developed national orthopaedic plan. The plan, through the national clinical network, is being used to design and support the implementation of the longer-term NHS regional orthopaedic plans to deliver sustainable services for the future.
In the short to medium term the Strategic Planned Care Programme is working with each health board to ensure they embed transformation in their pathways, using the results of the best practice identified through the Get it Right First-Time reviews (GIRFT). This work includes pathway redesign and improved productivity in particular in theatres.