Figures published this morning confirm that 19% of all NHS beds in Wales have been lost between 2002/03 and 2012/13.
Darren Millar AM, Shadow Minister for Health, said: “These figures confirm that a fifth of NHS beds in Wales have been axed under Labour.
“Ambulances queued up outside A&E departments are becoming an increasingly common sight at Welsh hospitals because A&E units are full with no beds in wards to transfer patients into.
“Rising patient demands and insufficient beds result in delayed transfers of care, which then prevent ambulances from responding promptly to their next emergency call, risking the survival chances of patients in life-threatening situations.
“These cuts in bed numbers have undoubtedly been exacerbated by Labour’s record-breaking cuts to the Welsh NHS budget, which have seen services starved of cash and placed enormous pressure on frontline staff.
“Welsh Labour’s centralisation agenda will lead to further hospital downgrades and closures, breaking pre-election promises and cutting bed numbers even further.
“Welsh Ministers must reverse their damaging cuts to the health service, increase bed capacity and work to raise care standards to the levels which staff and patients rightly demand.”
