Written question WQ94352
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made of the impact that over 600,000 people in Wales being on a Welsh NHS waiting list has on Wales's economic inactivity rate?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Annual Population Survey data shows that long-term sickness has been one of the main factors in increased levels of economic inactivity across the UK. The level of those aged 16-64 who are inactive due to long-term sickness has followed a broadly similar trend in England and Wales in recent years.
While we expect NHS waiting lists to be one of the many factors contributing to this, both in Wales and across the UK, we do not have data that quantifies the specific impact in Wales.
Reducing waiting times is a priority, and we have maintained an average wait of around 22 weeks for the majority of this year. We continue to see the longest waiting times reduce, and we remain focussed on eliminating waits over two years. We expect Health Boards to improve performance more quickly over the remainder of this year.