Last week, I had the opportunity to speak in the Welsh Conservatives’ debate on the NHS.
I want to begin by highlighting something obvious to everyone except the Labour Government in Cardiff Bay, Wales is the midst of a health emergency.
Between May 2021 and July 2025, the number of people waiting to start treatment increased by 30% to a staggering 800,000. This is un-acceptable.
The First Minister has repeatedly committed to eliminating two-year waits for treatment in both 2023 and 2024, but has failed. Two-year waits at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board alone have increased by 29% in just two years. This points to systemic failure, and something must be done.
It is obvious we need to declare a health emergency and treat this national embarrassment with the urgency it deserves. We would utilise the full powers of the Welsh Government in tackling this issue.
Labour have failed to this for the simple reason that it is politically inconvenient. This is the same party that took a health board in North Wales out of special measures before the last Senedd election, only to return it after they got back in.
Labour and Plaid have had their share of scrutiny over these failures. However, we cannot ignore the shocking ignorance from Reform.
At a recent national conference, they gave the main stage to a doctor who suggested that COVID vaccines were linked to cancer in the Royal Family and that the World Health Organization had been “captured” by Bill Gates and must be replaced. Our health service is at such a delicate point, the last thing it needs is to be run by conspiracy theorists.
The Conservatives are the only party who will provide our NHS with proper leadership. We will guarantee one year maximum treatment waits and introduce a seven-day GP appointment guarantee. Furthermore, we will carry out a recruitment and retention plan, ending the understaffing of our NHS.
Additionally, there would be investment in more surgical hubs and the restoration of patient choice to where they can access healthcare. Also, the launch of a cancer action plan to ensure access to swift checkups and treatment.
Finally, we will ensure more effective funding of our NHS through a root and branch review, identifying and eliminating waste.
We are at a pivotal point when it comes to our Welsh NHS, and only the Welsh Conservatives will bring the decisive leadership it needs.
Peter Fox MS - Monmouth
