00:00NHS waiting times have been a key target for Alina Edmorgan and her Welsh Government,
00:06and despite some positive signs for the last few months, the number has risen across the
00:10board for the second month in a row.
00:13One of the most high profile targets Alina Edmorgan set was to bring the number of people
00:16waiting the longest, i.e. more than two years, for treatment down to 8000 by March, but that
00:22number was narrowly missed and now the target has moved further away according to the most
00:26recent figures.
00:28Studies show that more than 10,000 people are now waiting two years or longer for treatment,
00:32an increase of 6.5% on the previous month, which shows a similar increase as the number
00:37of people waiting a year longer or anyone waiting for treatment on the Welsh NHS.
00:42The whole number of people on a waiting list in Wales is now at 796,000, an increase of
00:48roughly 6,000 between April and May.
00:50The number of people waiting more than a year also rose to over 75,000.
00:55The only real signs of positivity from the recent figures were a reduction in ambulance handover
00:59times, which many have pointed to as a major contributor to waiting times in general.
01:04It's been a focus for the Welsh Government who set up a national task force to help tackle
01:08the issue.
01:09Health Minister Jeremy Miles said the recent figures on ambulance handovers are the lowest
01:13in almost four years and shows the Welsh Government's commitment to tackling ambulance delays, but
01:18also conceded that the waiting times across the board were disappointing.
01:22Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds said it was a damning indictment of 25 years of labour mismanagement
01:27in Wales.
01:29Figures like these are not a good look for a First Minister desperate to improve NHS waiting
01:33times, both for the people of Wales, and because it's easy ammunition for their rivals who can
01:38send an election next year.
01:40James Peach Watkins, reporting for Local TV.
01:42Are you going to do that?
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