Wales’ hospitals ranked on A&E wait times, cancer treatment and ambulance response

The number of people waiting for NHS treatment in Wales is at a record high. In March, the number of individuals waiting for treatment peaked at 599,100. That same number has risen for three consecutive months in a row, and as of May 2024, there were 611,500 people waiting for treatment.

The number of people needing urgent ambulance care is also increasing, with the Welsh Government saying this figure is up 28% on the same month in 2023. Alongside this, cancer targets have never been met in Wales. The Welsh Government set the NHS a target of 75% of people should have started their cancer treatment within 62 days of cancer first being suspected. While performance fluctuates, the last few years has seen a downwards trend, and the 75% figure has never been met. This target is to rise to 80% in 2026.

Sadly, the backlog of the coronavirus pandemic coupled with increasing pressures on healthcare workers and affects of industrial action mean the people of Wales are waiting longer for vital care. And while we are constantly told about pressures on the NHS, the latest figures released by Stats Wales are still alarming. Adding to this are the disparities in key services such as A&E and ambulance wait times between different hospitals and health boards.

And while it’s often not quite as easy as looking at the statistics at face value, they can certainly paint a picture of the types of waits patients can expect. Population, poverty figures, and geographical size can all impact the level of service one hospital or health board can offer compared to another. Nevertheless, there are targets set on performance for each of these NHS services and we have looked at how each major emergency department and hospital in Wales compares (data excludes minor injury clinics).

Accident and Emergency

The target:

• 95% of patients should spend no longer than four hours in A&E from arrival until admission, transfer, or discharge
• No patient should be in A&E for longer than 12 hours