#nhs-waiting-list — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #nhs-waiting-list, aggregated by home.social.
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A&E crisis: Nearly 1,000 deaths in Wales linked to 12-hour waits as calls grow for urgent action
New figures from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine reveal 965 deaths in 2025 were associated with long emergency department waits — an average of 18 people every week.
The total is up on the previous year, with doctors warning the scale of the crisis should send “shockwaves” through the political system.
“A matter of life and death”
Emergency medicine experts say the situation inside A&E departments has become critical.
Dr Rob Perry said many of those affected were among the most vulnerable patients — people already in need of urgent hospital care.
“Any number of avoidable deaths is a tragedy — that there were almost a thousand last year should send shockwaves,” he said.
“This is a matter of life and death.”
The report points to overcrowded hospitals, high bed occupancy and delays discharging patients as key drivers — leaving emergency departments gridlocked.t door” of emergency departments, but at the “back door” — where patients cannot be moved into wards quickly enough.
How delays are linked to deaths
The analysis suggests one death occurs for every 72 patients forced to wait 12 hours or more before being admitted.
Experts say tackling patient flow through hospitals — not just demand at the front door — is key to preventing further loss of life.
The College is now calling on all parties to commit to ending deaths associated with long waits by 2030.
Government: “Real progress” on waiting lists
The stark findings come just days after the Welsh Government published its latest NHS performance figures — highlighting improvements elsewhere in the system.
According to ministers:
- The average waiting time for treatment has fallen to around 18 weeks
- Waiting lists have dropped for eight months in a row
- January saw a record monthly fall of 27,900 patients
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said the figures showed “real, tangible progress”.
“Health boards are delivering more appointments and more operations… making sure people are seen and treated faster,” he said.
How delays are costing lives
The analysis uses a recognised measure suggesting one death occurs for every 72 patients forced to wait 12 hours or more.
That equates to hundreds of potentially avoidable deaths each year.
The College is now calling on all political parties to commit to ending deaths linked to long A&E waits by 2030, warning that failure to act will lead to more lives lost.
More operations — but pressure remains
The Welsh Government says the improvements have been driven by:
- 187,000 extra outpatient appointments
- A record 37,000 cataract operations
- Additional £120 million funding
There have also been improvements in ambulance response times and hospital handovers.
But ministers acknowledge winter pressures remain high, with A&E departments recording one of their busiest periods on record.
Political pressure ramps up
The figures have prompted renewed criticism from the Welsh Conservatives.
Shadow Health Secretary Peter Fox said urgent action is needed.
“Every patient deserves timely care and no one should have to wait 12 hours or more,” he said.
“This data underlines the urgent need for strong, effective action.”
He reiterated calls to declare a health emergency to bring down waiting times and end corridor care.
Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS put the blame firmly at an overstretched social care system.
“These figures are a national scandal. Nearly a thousand people dying after waiting over 12 hours in A&E reflects a system that is fundamentally broken and causing avoidable deaths.
“For too long, the focus has been on the front door of hospitals, when the real crisis is at the back door. Patients cannot be discharged because social care is overstretched, beds remain blocked, and A&E departments become dangerously overcrowded.
“If we are serious about ending these avoidable deaths, the next Welsh Government must properly fund social care and take a whole-system approach to fixing patient flow and funding social care properly will be a red line in any negotiations we hold with other parties.”
Two pictures of the NHS
Together, the figures paint a complex picture of the Welsh NHS.
On one hand, waiting lists are falling and more patients are being treated.
On the other, emergency departments remain under severe pressure, with long waits continuing to be linked to hundreds of deaths each year.
With a Senedd election approaching, the challenge for politicians is clear — turning progress on paper into safer care on the frontline.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
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Parents urged to stay alert as health officials respond to rising cases.Swansea parents’ long fight for answers over son’s hidden ADHD and autism
Family speaks out after years of struggle navigating the system.Llanelli teen invited to Parliament after years of agony
#AE #AccidentAndEmergency #EmergencyDepartment #healthEmergency #JeremyMilesMS #NHSWaitingList #NHSWales #overcrowdedHospitals #PeterFoxMS #RoyalCollegeOfEmergencyMedicine #WelshGovernment
Young campaigner recognised after battling an invisible illness. -
‘Cooking the books’: Ombudsman slams ‘systemic failure’ at health board over latest knee surgery scandal
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales has delivered a damning verdict, branding the case part of a systemic failure in the way the Health Board manages its waiting lists. It comes less than two years after three earlier public interest reports exposed similar blunders in orthopaedic care, and just months after an independent review of maternity and neonatal services found repeated failings and forced Welsh Government intervention
Together, the scandals paint a picture of a Health Board struggling to maintain basic standards across critical services, with watchdogs warning that Swansea Bay has failed to learn from past mistakes.
Patient’s fury: “Cooking the books”
The man, known only as Mr W, told investigators he believed the Health Board was “cooking the books” when he discovered his waiting time clock had been reset without his knowledge. He had already been waiting more than 276 weeks — over five years — yet officials claimed his wait was just 60 weeks.
The Ombudsman agreed the reset was inappropriate and amounted to maladministration, saying it robbed Mr W of the chance to undergo surgery. By the time the error was uncovered, he was no longer fit to proceed.
A catalogue of errors
The investigation found no clinician had ever documented Mr W as medically unfit when his clock was reset in October 2023. Instead, he was sent for further tests, which later confirmed he was fit to go ahead. Yet the reset had already been applied, wiping years off his waiting time.
The Health Board admitted an “administrative error” in how the reset was recorded, and conceded Mr W was never told about the change. What shocked the Ombudsman further was that Swansea Bay had already been ordered to audit its waiting lists after the earlier scandals. That audit was supposed to catch mistakes like this, but it failed — raising serious doubts about whether other patients have also been short‑changed.
Health Board forced into public apology
Chief Executive Abigail Harris has now been forced to issue a public apology after the Ombudsman’s report exposed the blunders. In a statement, she said:
“The Health Board would like to publicly apologise for the failings identified and for the distress that this caused to the patient. We fully accept the Ombudsman’s recommendations and will implement them within the prescribed timescales.”
The Ombudsman’s recommendations go far beyond a simple apology. Swansea Bay must retrain staff on the rules for managing waiting lists, making sure cases like Mr W’s are handled properly in future. An independent re‑audit of orthopaedic waiting lists will now be commissioned to check if other patients have been treated unfairly, and if so, they too must be apologised to and have their records corrected. The Board itself has been told to take direct oversight, with a committee monitoring compliance to ensure these failures are not repeated.
A scandal with wider echoes
For Mr W, the apology comes too late. His five‑year wait has ended not with surgery, but with the door slammed shut. And his words — accusing the Health Board of “cooking the books” — will now echo far beyond his own case, raising fresh fears for thousands of other patients across Swansea Bay.
With maternity services already under special measures after repeated failings, and orthopaedics now branded a “systemic failure,” the Health Board faces mounting pressure to prove it can finally fix a broken system.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Independent review finds repeated failings in Swansea Bay maternity care
Welsh Government escalates intervention after a damning review of maternity and neonatal services.Health Minister escalates Swansea Bay maternity services
Concerns from families trigger enhanced monitoring across maternity services.Patient group reveals shocking treatment of new mothers at Singleton Hospital
Llais report details mothers feeling unheard, unsupported, or unsafe in local maternity care.Leading KC appointed to oversee review of Swansea Bay maternity services
Senior legal oversight brought in to drive accountability and improvements.#administrativeError #featured #hospitalWaitingList #kneeReplacementSurgery #NHSWaitingList #orthopaedicCare #orthopaedics #PublicServicesOmbudsmanForWales #SwanseaBayNHS #SwanseaBayUniversityHealthBoard #WaitingLists
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Lib Dem health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Rishi Sunak promised to cut waiting lists when he made his pledge, instead he cut spending on the NHS. “Now one year on, millions are left waiting in pain for the treatment they need and the number has only grown over the last year.
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Lib Dem health spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: “Rishi Sunak promised to cut waiting lists when he made his pledge, instead he cut spending on the NHS. “Now one year on, millions are left waiting in pain for the treatment they need and the number has only grown over the last year.
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Of course!
None of #RishiSunak 's "five promises" were addressed in the King's Speech. So, it's no surprise he's backing away from this #NHSWaitingList promise too. It was always unfounded and unfunded #ToryDeclaratoryPolitics
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Of course!
None of #RishiSunak 's "five promises" were addressed in the King's Speech. So, it's no surprise he's backing away from this #NHSWaitingList promise too. It was always unfounded and unfunded #ToryDeclaratoryPolitics
-
Of course!
None of #RishiSunak 's "five promises" were addressed in the King's Speech. So, it's no surprise he's backing away from this #NHSWaitingList promise too. It was always unfounded and unfunded #ToryDeclaratoryPolitics
-
Of course!
None of #RishiSunak 's "five promises" were addressed in the King's Speech. So, it's no surprise he's backing away from this #NHSWaitingList promise too. It was always unfounded and unfunded #ToryDeclaratoryPolitics
-
Of course!
None of #RishiSunak 's "five promises" were addressed in the King's Speech. So, it's no surprise he's backing away from this #NHSWaitingList promise too. It was always unfounded and unfunded #ToryDeclaratoryPolitics
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#Sunak's 'plan' 2 reduce #NHS waiting lists just more hot air, 7.7 MILLION waiting. Mr InactionMan at play again. Of course PM will try to blame everyone but himself or his Govt. Truth is this corrupt hubris ridden Govt is a liars convention, you've got to be a liar to get in! https://tinyurl.com/bdeh3yju #RejoinEU #NHSCrisis #NHSwaitinglist
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#Sunak's 'plan' 2 reduce #NHS waiting lists just more hot air, 7.7 MILLION waiting. Mr InactionMan at play again. Of course PM will try to blame everyone but himself or his Govt. Truth is this corrupt hubris ridden Govt is a liars convention, you've got to be a liar to get in! https://tinyurl.com/bdeh3yju #RejoinEU #NHSCrisis #NHSwaitinglist
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#Sunak's 'plan' 2 reduce #NHS waiting lists just more hot air, 7.7 MILLION waiting. Mr InactionMan at play again. Of course PM will try to blame everyone but himself or his Govt. Truth is this corrupt hubris ridden Govt is a liars convention, you've got to be a liar to get in! https://tinyurl.com/bdeh3yju #RejoinEU #NHSCrisis #NHSwaitinglist
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#Sunak's 'plan' 2 reduce #NHS waiting lists just more hot air, 7.7 MILLION waiting. Mr InactionMan at play again. Of course PM will try to blame everyone but himself or his Govt. Truth is this corrupt hubris ridden Govt is a liars convention, you've got to be a liar to get in! https://tinyurl.com/bdeh3yju #RejoinEU #NHSCrisis #NHSwaitinglist
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#Sunak's 'plan' 2 reduce #NHS waiting lists just more hot air, 7.7 MILLION waiting. Mr InactionMan at play again. Of course PM will try to blame everyone but himself or his Govt. Truth is this corrupt hubris ridden Govt is a liars convention, you've got to be a liar to get in! https://tinyurl.com/bdeh3yju #RejoinEU #NHSCrisis #NHSwaitinglist
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Private firm linked to No 10 adviser handed NHS waiting lists contract
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/22/private-firm-linked-no-10-adviser-handed-nhs-waiting-lists-contract?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#RishiSunak
#NhsWaitingList -
Private firm linked to No 10 adviser handed NHS waiting lists contract
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/22/private-firm-linked-no-10-adviser-handed-nhs-waiting-lists-contract?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#RishiSunak
#NhsWaitingList -
Private firm linked to No 10 adviser handed NHS waiting lists contract
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/22/private-firm-linked-no-10-adviser-handed-nhs-waiting-lists-contract?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#RishiSunak
#NhsWaitingList -
Private firm linked to No 10 adviser handed NHS waiting lists contract
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/22/private-firm-linked-no-10-adviser-handed-nhs-waiting-lists-contract?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#RishiSunak
#NhsWaitingList -
Private firm linked to No 10 adviser handed NHS waiting lists contract
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/aug/22/private-firm-linked-no-10-adviser-handed-nhs-waiting-lists-contract?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
#RishiSunak
#NhsWaitingList -
#R4Today #JohnGlennMP completely ignores the massive negative effects of #Brexit on the UK economy. He takes refuge in delusions, these are not enough, we MUST #rejoinEU. #ToryCriminalsUnfitToGovern #SunakOut #NHSwaitinglist #Fairness
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#R4Today #JohnGlennMP completely ignores the massive negative effects of #Brexit on the UK economy. He takes refuge in delusions, these are not enough, we MUST #rejoinEU. #ToryCriminalsUnfitToGovern #SunakOut #NHSwaitinglist #Fairness
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#R4Today #JohnGlennMP completely ignores the massive negative effects of #Brexit on the UK economy. He takes refuge in delusions, these are not enough, we MUST #rejoinEU. #ToryCriminalsUnfitToGovern #SunakOut #NHSwaitinglist #Fairness
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#R4Today #JohnGlennMP completely ignores the massive negative effects of #Brexit on the UK economy. He takes refuge in delusions, these are not enough, we MUST #rejoinEU. #ToryCriminalsUnfitToGovern #SunakOut #NHSwaitinglist #Fairness
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#R4Today #JohnGlennMP completely ignores the massive negative effects of #Brexit on the UK economy. He takes refuge in delusions, these are not enough, we MUST #rejoinEU. #ToryCriminalsUnfitToGovern #SunakOut #NHSwaitinglist #Fairness
