Welsh Government Pledges £145m for NHS Waiting Lists as Backlog Rises Again
The Welsh government has announced a £145m injection into NHS Wales for the current financial year, targeting chronic waiting list backlogs and the development of new surgical and diagnostic infrastructure — even as the latest performance data shows the total number of patients awaiting treatment has risen to approximately 680,000.
Funding Breakdown
The package, part of the Welsh government’s supplementary budget, allocates £100m to reducing waiting times, with £25m specifically earmarked for up to ten new surgical and diagnostic hubs to be developed over the next four years.
A further £20m in capital funding will address essential maintenance across the NHS estate, covering mobile scanners and ageing equipment upgrades.
Waiting Lists Rise Despite Previous Investment
The announcement comes against a backdrop of deteriorating performance. The total number of patients waiting for treatment rose by more than 13,000 in April, reversing ten consecutive months of decline. Two-year waits also increased sharply, climbing from 2,589 in March to 3,694 in April.
The previous Welsh Labour administration had committed an additional £120m through to the end of March in an effort to drive down waiting times. Emergency department performance against four-hour and twelve-hour targets also worsened in May.
New Government Distances Itself from Labour’s Approach
Mabon ap Gwynfor, the Plaid Cymru health minister, was direct in his criticism of his predecessors. Speaking to BBC Wales, he accused the former Labour government of having “looked at the problem and put a sticking plaster on it,” concentrating on short-term fixes rather than structural reform.
“What we’re doing is putting money into early intervention so that we don’t reach that position again,” ap Gwynfor said, citing improvements to diagnostics, pathway validation, and patient placement to ensure individuals receive appropriate treatment rather than waiting on incorrect lists.
Welsh Labour interim leader Ken Skates pushed back, crediting the previous administration’s investment for the ten-month improvement in waiting figures. He questioned whether Plaid Cymru had a credible delivery plan, saying: “Reviews and consultations won’t cut it — people want to see action.”
Workforce Shortfall Compounds Pressures
The minister acknowledged a significant workforce challenge ahead of an NHS graduate summit in Cardiff. A recent recruitment freeze, which ap Gwynfor attributed to decisions made under the previous Labour government, has left newly qualified paramedics, nurses, and midwives without guaranteed employment in the Welsh NHS.
Asked directly whether he could guarantee jobs for those affected, ap Gwynfor said: “No, we can’t guarantee that.” He said the summit would bring together employers to identify available opportunities and prevent a recurrence of the situation.
Plaid Cymru’s Welsh government intends to publish the first part of a formal NHS workforce plan in autumn 2025.
Safety Concerns at North Wales Hospital
Separately, ap Gwynfor called on NHS management to “take control immediately” of the emergency department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Denbighshire, following a recent inspection that flagged serious concerns over leadership, governance, culture, and overcrowding.
The minister said he expected Betsi Cadwaladr health board to act swiftly, while seeking to reassure the public that the unit remained safe to attend. Government officials are monitoring the situation on a regular basis.
Key Figures at a Glance
Nearly half of the Welsh government’s £27bn budget for 2026-27 is directed at the NHS and social care — a structural commitment that Plaid Cymru has inherited from its Labour predecessors, and which leaves limited fiscal room for course correction should the new investment fail to deliver measurable results.