Peter Fox OBE MS member for Monmouth and Shadow Health Minister in the Senedd.
That sad reality in Wales is that for the last 27 years, devolution has meant that in the UK we have not one but four NHS systems, each run by different governments — and delivering very different results. For Wales it’s been a tragedy.
Wales is the birthplace of the National Health Service — the place where Aneurin Bevan first set out a vision of care free at the point of need. It has been under the management of a Labour Government, supported by Plaid Cymru and occasionally the Liberal Democrats, for all of those 27 years, so it should be a gold standard. Instead, it is a disaster.
Waiting lists remain at record levels, with the equivalent of nearly one in four people waiting for treatment. Thousands of patients in Wales have been waiting more than two years for treatment. In England, with 17 times the population, the number of people waiting two years or more for treatment is virtually zero.
Ambulance response times are horrendous. For the most serious red emergency calls, only around half of patients were reached within the 6 to 8 minute target. One patient was transported to hospital strapped to a plank of wood in the back of a van after breaking his hip, because his relatives were told there was no ambulance available for him. Sadly, these kinds of stories have become commonplace.
If an ambulance does arrive, then patients face waits of hours in A&E and are treated on trolleys in corridors in front of those still waiting. An elderly man recently died gasping on a trolley, surrounded by horrified patients.
In a recent report, the Institute for Fiscal Studies stated that there is more money per head being put into the NHS in Wales, but standards are lower. Even more shockingly, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has said that up to 1,000 patients may be dying needlessly because of corridor care. Yet instead of taking responsibility, Labour’s approach is to deny any problem or blame someone else.
Meanwhile, people are left in pain, unable to work, or living with worsening conditions while they wait.
Last week, Labour launched their election campaign with a flagship NHS policy: anyone in urgent need of a GP would be able to see a GP, or a nurse, within… two days. After 27 years, this is the best they can offer.
The following week, the headlines painted another picture of failure. Students undertaking paramedic training, in the hope of doing something practical to relieve pressure on the NHS here, were told that after completing their training at great effort and expense to the taxpayer, there were no ambulances available for them to work on — so they should apply for jobs abroad.
It is hard to imagine a clearer example of systemic failure.
After nearly three decades in charge, Labour in Wales can no longer point elsewhere or blame external factors. This is their system, their record, and their responsibility.
And it matters far beyond Wales.
A Welsh Conservative Government would immediately declare a health emergency and require every part of government to work on solving the endemic health crisis. In the Welsh Conservative Party, we are a proudly pro-NHS party. We are determined to end the decades of failure and make improving healthcare a top priority.
We have less than a month to turn this around. We are out canvassing and leafleting every day, and we would welcome help from any part of the United Kingdom. If you want to help, please get in touch: info@welshconservatives.com
Peter Fox OBE MS member for Monmouth and Shadow Health Minister in the Senedd.
That sad reality in Wales is that for the last 27 years, devolution has meant that in the UK we have not one but four NHS systems, each run by different governments — and delivering very different results. For Wales it’s been a tragedy.
Wales is the birthplace of the National Health Service — the place where Aneurin Bevan first set out a vision of care free at the point of need. It has been under the management of a Labour Government, supported by Plaid Cymru and occasionally the Liberal Democrats, for all of those 27 years, so it should be a gold standard. Instead, it is a disaster.
Waiting lists remain at record levels, with the equivalent of nearly one in four people waiting for treatment. Thousands of patients in Wales have been waiting more than two years for treatment. In England, with 17 times the population, the number of people waiting two years or more for treatment is virtually zero.
Ambulance response times are horrendous. For the most serious red emergency calls, only around half of patients were reached within the 6 to 8 minute target. One patient was transported to hospital strapped to a plank of wood in the back of a van after breaking his hip, because his relatives were told there was no ambulance available for him. Sadly, these kinds of stories have become commonplace.
If an ambulance does arrive, then patients face waits of hours in A&E and are treated on trolleys in corridors in front of those still waiting. An elderly man recently died gasping on a trolley, surrounded by horrified patients.
In a recent report, the Institute for Fiscal Studies stated that there is more money per head being put into the NHS in Wales, but standards are lower. Even more shockingly, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has said that up to 1,000 patients may be dying needlessly because of corridor care. Yet instead of taking responsibility, Labour’s approach is to deny any problem or blame someone else.
Meanwhile, people are left in pain, unable to work, or living with worsening conditions while they wait.
Last week, Labour launched their election campaign with a flagship NHS policy: anyone in urgent need of a GP would be able to see a GP, or a nurse, within… two days. After 27 years, this is the best they can offer.
The following week, the headlines painted another picture of failure. Students undertaking paramedic training, in the hope of doing something practical to relieve pressure on the NHS here, were told that after completing their training at great effort and expense to the taxpayer, there were no ambulances available for them to work on — so they should apply for jobs abroad.
It is hard to imagine a clearer example of systemic failure.
After nearly three decades in charge, Labour in Wales can no longer point elsewhere or blame external factors. This is their system, their record, and their responsibility.
And it matters far beyond Wales.
A Welsh Conservative Government would immediately declare a health emergency and require every part of government to work on solving the endemic health crisis. In the Welsh Conservative Party, we are a proudly pro-NHS party. We are determined to end the decades of failure and make improving healthcare a top priority.
We have less than a month to turn this around. We are out canvassing and leafleting every day, and we would welcome help from any part of the United Kingdom. If you want to help, please get in touch: info@welshconservatives.com