Commenting on the statement by the Welsh Health Minister, in which he has signalled an intention to scrap key NHS performance indicators, Darren Millar AM, Shadow Health Minister, said:
“Today’s announcement is a clear admission of failure.
“It appears that Carwyn Jones’ Labour Government has finally given up on trying to meet key targets in the Welsh NHS. This should come as no surprise given that some have not been met for many months or even years.
“Accident and Emergency waiting time targets have not been met since 2009, cancer waiting time targets have been missed every month since 2008 and ambulance response time targets have only been met once in the past year and a half.
“Labour Ministers clearly think this is a good day to bury bad news and scrap targets which hold the Welsh Government to account for its abysmal failure to get to grips with the challenges faced by the Welsh NHS and provide prompt care and treatment to those who need it.
“Whilst I fully accept that waiting time targets should not be the only indicator of performance, they are a key measure which should continue to be monitored in the future.
“Patients in Wales should brace themselves for longer waits for treatment in the future.”
