Natasha Asghar on state of health care across Wales
If anything, things continue to go from bad to worse under Labour's watch.
NHS treatment lists remain shamefully high with just shy of 780,000 patient pathways open – that's the equivalent of nearly one-in-four people.
The Welsh Government should hang its head in shame over that statistic.
The latest figures show two year waits for treatment are on the up in Wales again to 9,600 whereas across the border in England it's just 171.
Just 50 per cent of red calls - the most serious - received an emergency/ambulance response within the eight-minute target time, down on the previous month.
We are still nowhere near hitting the target of 95 per cent of patients waiting less than four hours in Welsh A&E departments.
That's the grim picture nationally, and locally, I am afraid it is not much better.
In my region, we have more than 141,000 patient pathways within the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board with 14,716 patients waiting over a year for a first appointment.
A staggering 24,666 patients have been waiting longer than a year for treatment in April 2025 – that's nearly one in five patients waiting longer than a year.
Not only that, 374 patients were waiting more than two years for treatment in April 2025.
The Grange Hospital has 57.5 per cent of patients waiting less than four hours in its emergency department, the fourth worst in Wales.
Shockingly, 1,115 patients were waiting more than 12 hours at The Grange in May this year – which works out to be 15 per cent of total patients seen at the department.
These aren't just statistics. These are my constituents languishing in pain on a waiting list for treatment. And this is utterly unacceptable.
Recently the Welsh Conservatives brought forward a debate urging the Welsh Government to declare a health emergency so all efforts can be directed to driving waiting lessons down.
Shockingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, Labour politicians in the Senedd and their Plaid Cymru pals blocked the move.
As ever, if there is anything I can do to help going forward, please do not hesitate to get in touch by calling 01633 215138 or email Natasha.Asghar@Senedd.Wales.
Natasha Asghar is Senedd member for South Wales East.
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