Welsh Conservatives have condemned the latest accident and emergency waiting time figures, which confirm the four hour target has now not been met in two and a half years.
89.5 per cent of patients were seen within four hours in December. The target is 95 per cent and was last met in August 2009, before the current First Minister was elected Welsh Labour leader.
The ultimate target of 99 per cent of patients seen within eight hours was also missed in December.
In all, 75,897 people attended all accident and emergency departments across Wales. Nearly 8,000 were not seen within four hours.
The figures show a slight improvement in performance on November, which the government’s statistical department says is ‘partially due to technical changes’ in collecting data.
Shadow Minister for Health, Darren Millar AM, said:
“The Welsh Labour Government hasn’t got anywhere near its four hour target for treating A and E patients in almost 30 months.
“Despite it being two and a half years since its own target was met, there has been no apology, no acceptance and no commitment to try harder. In fact, the First Minister continues to dismiss these figures out-of-hand.
“Long waits in accident and emergency can cause discomfort and distress, especially for the young, elderly and chronically ill. It’s not a problem that should be ignored or shelved and Labour’s complacency is affecting thousands of patients every month. This idle response to what is a very serious issue has now become untenable.
“The failure should be admitted and a comprehensive plan put in place to deal with it.”
