Welsh Conservatives today confronted the Assembly Government on hospital waiting times figures.
Speaking in the Assembly chamber Leader of the Opposition Nick Bourne AM, challenged the First Minister over the increased waiting times that show patients in Wales are waiting longer for treatment than those in England.
Commenting on the exchange, Mr Bourne said:
“The Assembly Government is in denial about their own figures which show that waiting times in Wales have gone remorselessly upwards not downwards month on month.
“It is worrying that the First Minister cannot admit that this is yet another failure on the part of the Health Minister and the Assembly Government.”
Mr Bourne also questioned the First Minister on the Assembly Government’s current consultation on proposals to stop the collection and publication of waiting times for first outpatient appointments and inpatient/day-case admissions.
“The First Minister now says that this consultation is merely aimed at improving the statistical model of collection and publication of such figures
“Yet however the Assembly Government tries to dress up this consultation, they cannot deny that they are trying to veil information that doesn’t suit them.
“The public must know the full extent of the performance of the NHS in Wales and they cannot do so if the figures are manipulated and obscured by complicated Assembly Government collection and publication methods.
“Patients in Wales deserve better.”
