Written question WQ92354
- Asked by
- Rhys ab OwenIndependent
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 13 days
Question
What is the Cabinet Secretary doing to reduce the waiting times for patients on urgent waiting lists?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Our national recovery plan, published in April 2022, was clear on our commitment to reduce long waits and ensure cancer and clinical urgency take priority.
Our national targets are related to the maximum waits for all pathways. We are clear on our expectations that health boards have to plan and manage their local clinical demands to address cancer and clinical urgency as priority, as well as work to reduce long routine waits.
Long waiting times are falling every month thanks to the hard work of NHS staff.
Through the planned care programme run by the NHS Executive, my officials are working and challenging the NHS to transform their service models. This is being supported by clinical good practice, such as the Get it Right First Time (GiRFT) reviews, which have been undertaken across a number of services.