Impact of the waiting times backlog on people in Wales who are waiting for diagnosis or treatment
Inquiry4
The waiting lists for diagnostic and therapy appointments and surgical treatment in Wales have significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 7 April 2022, the Health and Social Care Committee published Waiting well? The impact of the waiting times backlog on people in Wales which includes recommendations to the Welsh Government on tackling the waiting times backlog and supporting people who are waiting for diagnosis or treatment. The Welsh Government is expected to respond to the report in due course.
On 26 April 2022, the Welsh Government published a plan for transforming and modernising planned care and reducing waiting lists. On 29 April 2022, the Committee wrote to health and social care stakeholders to ask them for their views on the Welsh Government’s plan.
Information about the Committee’s inquiry
The Committee’s inquiry considered, in particular:
- The services in place for people
who are waiting for diagnostics and treatment, particularly pain
management support.
- Access to psychological
therapies and emotional support for those who may be experiencing anxiety
or distress as a result of long waiting times.
- The contribution the third
sector can make in providing peer support and information to patients
waiting on an NHS waiting list.
- The effectiveness of messaging
and engagement with the public about the demands on the service and the
importance of seeking care promptly.
- The extent to which inequalities
exist in the elective backlog, with deprived areas facing
disproportionately large waiting lists per head of population compared to
least deprived areas.
- Plans to fully restore planned
NHS care in Wales.
To explore these issues, the Committee:
>>>>
>>>Issued a written call for evidence between 19 November 2021
and 13 January 2022. We received 44 responses.
>>>Held oral evidence sessions with key stakeholders on 18
November 2021, 2
December 2021 and 13
January 2022
>>>Held an oral evidence session with the Minister for Health
and Social Services on 10
February 2022, the Committee concluded its oral evidence sessions with the
Minister for Health and Social Services.
>>>Conducted a series of interviews
and focus groups with people in Wales who are waiting for diagnosis or
treatment. You can find more
information about how the Senedd’s Citizen Engagement Team conducted this work
on the Senedd’s blog.
>>>Published a report
and accompanying media
release on 7 April 2022.
>>>Wrote
to health and social care stakeholders on 29 April 2022 to seek their views on
the Welsh Government’s plan
for transforming and modernising planned care and reducing waiting lists.
<<<<
Business type: Committee Inquiry
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
First published: 05/11/2021
Documents
- Report
- Waiting well? The impact of the waiting times backlog on people in Wales - 7 April 2022
PDF 2 MB
- Correspondence
- Letter from the Chair to the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding waiting times - 22 November 2021
PDF 332 KB
- Response from the Minister for Health and Social Services to the Chair regarding waiting times - 3 December 2021
PDF 177 KB
- Letter from Wales Cancer Alliance on waiting times - 18 January 2022
PDF 103 KB
- Letter from the Chair to the Welsh NHS Confederation regarding waiting times backlog - 22 November 2021
PDF 73 KB
- Letter from the Chair to Digital Health and Care Wales and Public Health Wales regarding waiting times backlog - 22 November 2021
PDF 73 KB
- Response from the Welsh NHS Confedeartion regarding waiting times backlog - 13 January 2022
PDF 288 KB View as HTML (9) 47 KB
- Response from Digital Health and Care Wales regarding waiting times backlog - 13 January 2022
PDF 445 KB View as HTML (10) 9 KB
Consultations