What discussions will the Minister have with health boards regarding their theatre capacity for routine day cases so that no one has to wait 324 weeks for their treatment as has happened to some patients in Wales?
October 2022 was the seventh consecutive month-on-month decrease in waits over two years – the number of waits was 23% lower than the high in March 2022.
While significant progress has been made in reducing long waits, I have been very clear, through the clinical summits undertaken throughout 2022, that the NHS has to deliver good practice recommendations in theatre efficiency and day case rates.
I have tasked my officials to specifically performance manage the NHS on delivering improvements in these important areas. We have asked the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) team to work with a number of specialities across Wales with the aim of increasing productivity and reducing inefficiencies in the system. This work is already underway, and I expect that this will be reflected in health board plans.