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  • 1 year ago
The Labour Welsh Government “doesn’t have a plan to follow the pounds” - Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth stated today, as he challenged the First Minister at the Senedd on whether she was getting “bang for her buck” on health spending.
During First Minister’s Questions today (Tuesday, February 18), Mr ap Iorwerth challenged First Minister over the £1.5bn spent on bringing down NHS waiting lists since 2021 despite waiting lists hitting a record high every month since March 2024.
There are currently 802,268 patient pathways waiting to start treatment in Wales, made up of about 619,100 individual patients.
The First Minister responded by saying “we’re not quite seeing the kind of outcomes that we think we should be seeing from the investment that’s gone in.”
Criticising Labour’s failure to deliver on their promise to tackle growing NHS waiting lists Plaid Cymru Leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: “The Labour First Minister promised to prioritise tackling record-high NHS waiting lists. Yet six months on, the First Minister has admitted that the investment hasn’t delivered better outcomes for patients.
“Despite this admission, there is no sense there’ll be a change of approach from government or a focus on preventative health measures – it doesn’t have a plan to follow the pounds.
“Having spent £1.5bn since the 2021 Senedd election on tackling NHS waiting lists, it should not be the case that 1 in 5 people are waiting for a referral for treatment.
“Only Plaid Cymru offers the NHS a fresh start, with a clear plan to tackle NHS waiting lists and proposals to change how our health service is run to ensure it is fit for the future.”

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00:00done a lot to support the sector, and I'm really pleased that you have welcomed that
00:05£18.5 million in capital funding this year to support efforts to reduce operating costs.
00:16I think that, I hope, will bring some relief to the sector.
00:20Andrew R.T.
00:21Davies AM She really couldn't help herself, could she?
00:23I could remind the First Minister of how the Labour Party in Wales walked away from a review
00:28of council tax that would help the poorest households in Wales.
00:32We need to think differently about how we use public funds in Wales, getting more bangs
00:38for our buck, and health is the same in that respect.
00:42When the First Minister came into office, she said her immediate priority was to reduce
00:47NHS waiting lists, but since the 2021 Senedd election, Welsh health ministers have invested
00:56£1.5 billion with a stated aim of bringing down waiting lists, and they have failed.
01:01In that time, the number of patient pathways has increased by 200,000.
01:06Now, the First Minister tells us today that she is pouring money here, there and everywhere.
01:11If the First Minister does think that it's all about money, what assessment has she made
01:15of how big the Bill is going to be for Wales before she does finally deliver on her promise?
01:21Y Llywydd, thanks very much, and you'll know that there was a huge backlog as a result
01:27of the pandemic, and I think that people
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