SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, slams the Welsh Government as NHS waiting lists reach an all-time high.
Mr Rowlands, Shadow Health Minister was commenting after it was revealed that the number of people waiting for treatment in Wales continues to grow and is now over 800,000.
As a harsh critic of the Welsh Labour Government’s handling of the nation’s health service he said: “NHS waiting lists have hit an all-time high after seven record breaking months of consecutive increases which quite frankly is not good enough.
“The additional cash that Baroness Morgan is pleading for will be too little too late and is a testament to Labour’s failure to prioritise the Welsh NHS. Crucially, any cash won’t be coupled with the vital reforms or long-term thinking we need to bear down on these excessive waits.
“We know that, as always, sadly, it’s patients and hardworking staff who are left at the sharp end; they’re the ones languishing in pain on waiting lists or working under serious pressure without the full support that they need.
“My inbox is regularly full of complaints from my constituents in North Wales who have had long waits for treatment in A&E departments or are waiting over two years just to see a consultant. It is heartbreaking.
“What I find very sad is that unfortunately we seem to have got used to this being the way it is; we have long waiting lists and we have a health service that isn’t always there when we need it.
“It simply is not acceptable, and after 25 years of a Labour Government, it is not how the health service has to be or should be here in Wales.”
