Demand continues to pile onto the breadth of health and care services

• In December, an average of 217 immediately life-threatening calls were made each day to the ambulance service, the highest on record. This continues to steadily increase over time. 
• In November, the overall number of patient pathways increased from just over 802,100 to just under 802,300, the highest figure on record. 
• Management information suggests that in November, when there were just under 802,300 open patient pathways, there were about 619,100 individual patients on treatment waiting lists in Wales, compared to 620,300 the previous month. 
• Compared to the same time last year, there are improvements in waits for diagnostic services, therapies and cancer services. 
   

Responding to the latest NHS performance statistics for Wales, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation Darren Hughes said: 

“Demand on NHS services remains historically high and, in some areas, we continue to see the highest levels of demand on record, month after month. To put this into perspective, more people are ill and needing more complex care and treatment from our health and care services. 

“In scheduled care, although there was an increase in the overall number of patient pathways, (by 200), this is much smaller than we've seen in recent months and there were less patients overall waiting for treatment. This is testament to the levels of activity from staff and initiatives put in place to bring down waiting lists. 

“Despite some reductions in the number of medically fit patients unable to leave hospital, challenges persist, causing issues for capacity and patient flow through hospitals. Social care partners are simultaneously experiencing extremely high levels of demand while grappling with workforce challenges and squeezed budgets. 

“The higher number of ambulances and patients we see at emergency departments is a symptom of a whole system under pressure. As well as social care, what these statistics also don’t show is the demand on primary care, community care and mental health services. 

“Despite advanced winter planning, virtual wards, discharge hubs, same day emergency care units and other initiatives, the reality is the NHS and social care are struggling with old and insufficient estates, pressured budgets, workforce challenges and record levels of demand. Without a shift to long-term thinking, planning and budgeting, it will be very difficult for health and care leaders to pull the system out of this vicious cycle. 

“We know it has been an exceptionally difficult season for flu and other respiratory illnesses and the additional pressure this puts on the breadth of health and care services, in terms of both demand and capacity. We want to thank staff for their continued monumental efforts in caring for the people of Wales under sometimes extremely difficult circumstances.”