Andrew R.T. Davies’ Column



ANDREW R.T. DAVIES’ COLUMN


People in Wenvoe, like anybody in the Vale or in Wales as a whole, are entitled to quality healthcare.

And I think I speak for most if not all residents when I say that our NHS staff are doing the best they can, and then some.

I have nothing but gratitude for those staff who are doing so much to help people in Wenvoe when they use our health service.

Unfortunately, those staff, and patients, are suffering. Our NHS performance is not where it should be in a modern, wealthy country.

One area which is of particular concern to me and many people I speak to in the community is A&E waiting times.

People who have to attend A&E are often in a lot of pain and stress, and it is vital that they can be seen promptly so they can move forward with their treatment.

In Cardiff and the Vale Health Board, the health board that serves the community of Wenvoe, in the month of May this year, 1 in 10 A&E patients were waiting more than 12 hours in an emergency department.

Five years ago, in May 2017, only 0.5% of patients were waiting that long.

I know lots of people will agree that we don’t want to see anybody waiting 12 hours in an emergency department.

But to go from 1 in 200 people waiting for 12 hours to 1 in 10 in just 5 years is a serious cause for concern.

These long waits are putting pressure on people’s lives.

It’s not good enough.

It is truly unacceptable that 1 in every 10 A&E attendees are having to wait at least 12 hours to be seen.

We need to see action on this.

I continue to raise this in my capacity in the Senedd, and I will stay on top of this issue, because it has an impact on everybody in our communities.