Plaid Cymru Senedd candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Chair of the North Wales Health Alliance, Cllr Mabon ap Gwynfor has called on Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to make use of the so-far unfilled north Wales rainbow hospitals to help deal with the sizeable backlog of patients waiting for treatment across the region.
Newly published figures obtained from the Community Health Council reveal that the number of BCUHB patients waiting more than 52 weeks for treatment has quadrupled within the past year. As of 31st July 2020, 30,167 were waiting over 36 weeks for treatment, compared to 8,900 in 2019.
Cllr Mabon ap Gwynfor said, ‘It is understandable that waiting lists have increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Resources have quite reasonably been targeted at dealing with this unprecedented public health crisis, but this cannot go on forever.’
‘Covid-19 is not going to go away anytime soon. Like other strains of Coronaviruses, it is likely that we will have to learn to live with Covid-19 for the foreseeable future and therefore we must plan and adapt for this change.’
‘But our current health system is not designed to run two parallel services. As things stand, we cannot run a conventional health service alongside a reactive service dealing with the unpredictability and pressures of a viral pandemic.’
‘We therefore need to develop a short-term work-around solution to enable other key health services to function as normal as possible to meet the continuing needs of patients. We simply cannot have Covid-19 patients sharing facilities with patients being treated for other conditions.’
‘We have temporary field hospitals in certain places, which have been largely unused. The Health Board, in conjunction with other authorities, should now look at utilising these stand-in sites to minimise the risk of the infection being acquired at our general hospitals.'
'Patients across north Wales need firm assurances that both Welsh Government and the local Health Board have considered their needs and that they will be seen and treated.'
'They must reassure patients that a full service can be resumed safely and that those who need to be seen and treated receive the appropriate and timely level care.'
Liz Saville Roberts MP added,
'Those whose treatment has been postponed as a consequence of the Coronavirus pandemic need to be reassured that everything is now being done to expedite their care.'
'It is incumbent on both the local health board and Welsh government to work with others and consider every possible solution to ensure the continuity of care for patients across north Wales who may have had their treatment delayed as a result of the pandemic.'
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Referral to Treatment as at 31st July 2020, 2019 and 2018 |
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as at 31st July |
% within 26 Weeks |
Number over 36 weeks |
36 week waiter % Increase as at 31/07/20 |
Number over 52 Weeks |
52 week waiter % increase as at 31/07/20 |
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2020 |
55.29% |
30,167 |
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10,904 |
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2019 |
82.00% |
8,900 |
339% |
2,496 |
437% |
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2018 |
85.81% |
6,631 |
455% |
2,277 |
479% |
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