What steps is the Welsh Government taking to support people waiting for joint-replacement surgery, and to safely bring down waiting times for orthopaedic surgery?
Waiting times for elective orthopaedic procedures remain challenging for NHS Wales and we continue to ensure that it remains a priority within local health board recovery plans, as well as in any funding allocations.
I have recently announced an extra £148 million to the NHS to support planned care recovery. £100 million will be used to help health boards’ recovery plans, including speeding up the treatment of those who have been waiting the longest, while the remaining £48 million is for equipment and adapting hospitals and other buildings to increase capacity for routine procedures, whilst maintaining COVID safe areas. This is in addition to the £100 million funding allocated in May to support the Welsh Government’s Health and Social Services COVID Recovery Plan.
The current work programme of the Planned Care Programme and Population Health teams include working with health board teams to further enhance pain management services, review the role of Allied Health Professionals within primary care, supporting the development of pre-habilitation services and the development of an Orthopaedic Clinical Surgical Strategy. These areas are all supporting improving the levels of support available to patients nationally, while also addressing what will be needed in the longer term to deliver the care patients require for years to come. In the short to medium term, health boards are being encouraged to work on a regional basis to develop services.