James Evans MS and Darren Millar MS have criticised the Welsh Government for their poor waiting time performance for NHS cancer diagnosis and treatment as outlined in a new report by Audit Wales.
Audit Wales found that there has been a “continuing failure to meet national performance targets for cancer” with the national target of 75% of cancer patients starting treatment within 62 days not having been met by any of Wales’ seven health boards since August 2020.
The public body also accuse the Welsh Government of undermining their own three-year Cancer Improvement Plan by failing to clarify its status.
The Welsh Conservatives argue that the “stronger and clearer national leadership” called for by Audit Wales to drive necessary improvements in the Welsh NHS to address these issues can only be delivered through a change in government.
Commenting, James Evans MS, the Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said:
“Under Labour, barely half of Welsh cancer patients are receiving treatment within the target time. That cannot continue.
“Audit Wales are clear, throwing money at the problem will achieve nothing. Only through a change in government will we see the ‘stronger and clearer national leadership’ required to drive through the improvements that we need to see for patients.”
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS added:
“After 26 years of Labour Governments, the Welsh NHS is broken. Let’s be frank, patients are suffering and dying unnecessarily due to excessive waits for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
“The Welsh Conservatives will fix our health service and hit these targets by screening more patients to ensure earlier detection of cancer and by delivering more NHS capacity for faster treatment.”
