Recent news has emerged from Wales’s health service, and it paints a rather bleak picture for those who are receiving cancer treatment or expecting an efficient ambulance service in the country.
Two of the most vital targets for the health service have been cancer treatment times and ambulance response times, and both of these targets have, unfortunately, been missed yet again.
New statistics that have just been released by the Welsh Government show that these two targets, despite being an important priority for the health service, have not been achieved.
The target for those who were in urgent need of treatment for cancer was for them to be seen within two months, but the numbers show that only 82.6 percent of those who urgently needed treatment were seen within this two month time frame. This could have a serious impact on the wellness of those who are seriously ill with cancer.
Most worryingly of all, this is actually a decrease from the previous statistics, which showed that 86 percent of the cases that were deemed urgent were seen within the target of two months, showing that the situation has actually got worse rather than improved with time.
Other figures that have been released at the same time also show that the NHS in Wales is spending more than ever on cancer treatment and the treatment of tumours in general, as this has increased by nearly another £10m in the last year.
At the same time, figures for ambulance response times also reveal a worrying trend. Just 60.8 percent of those calls deemed category A (the most urgent type of call) received an ambulance within the target response time of eight minutes, which is below the Welsh Government’s set target of 65 percent.
This is the ninth month in a row that the response time targets have been missed, which could have serious repercussions for the wellbeing of those who are making these emergency calls.
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