Jeremy Miles (Image: Sean Pursey / Alamy)
Last Updated: 2 minutes ago
NHS Wales has achieved its biggest monthly reduction in the waiting list on record, with figures showing sustained improvement in how long patients wait for treatment.
Data published yesterday reveals the average waiting time for treatment has dropped to around 18 weeks – down from 23 weeks in August 2024 and the lowest since before the pandemic began.
The January 2026 figures show a fall of 27,900 from the waiting list in a single month, marking the eighth consecutive monthly reduction – the longest sustained period of decline ever recorded. The overall list now sits at its lowest point since April 2022.
Long waits have also been significantly cut, with 19,000 fewer patients waiting more than two years for treatment compared to August 2024.
The improvements have been driven by changes to make the health service more productive, supported by £120m in additional Welsh Government funding. So far, health boards have delivered an extra 187,000 outpatient appointments and a record-breaking 37,000 cataract operations.
📊 Key figures at a glance
- Average wait for treatment: approximately 18 weeks
- Monthly waiting list reduction in January: 27,900
- Consecutive months of decline: eight (a new record)
- Additional outpatient appointments delivered: 187,000
- Record cataract operations carried out: 37,000
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles visited the day surgery unit at Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli yesterday to see how funding is helping Hywel Dda University Health Board tackle its waiting times. Fewer than 1% of pathways there are waiting more than a year for a first outpatient appointment or two years for treatment.
He said: “This set of record-breaking figures show just how hard the NHS is working. Health boards are delivering more outpatient appointments, especially in the evenings and at weekends, and more operations, including cataract surgery – new ways of working to make sure people are seen and treated faster.
“The waiting list has fallen for the eighth month in a row, a new record reduction, and the longest waits are down yet again. This is real, tangible progress for people in Wales.
“We are determined to keep driving down waiting times and I expect to see significant further improvements in the weeks ahead to ensure that everyone gets the care they need, when they need it.”
The ambulance service also recorded encouraging results, with its best response time for cardiac or respiratory arrest patients since the current model launched in July – six minutes and 50 seconds in February.
Patient handover times at emergency departments improved too, with a 21% reduction compared to February last year. That contributed to a 38-minute improvement in average response times for orange category patients, including those suffering strokes or heart attacks.
Winter pressures remain a challenge, however, with February’s emergency department attendances the second highest on record for the month. The Welsh Government said it has been clear with health boards about the need for a sustained focus on patient flow, discharge and community capacity to improve the quality of emergency care.
