Every month, the latest NHS statistics are published, and unfortunately, they continue to paint a bleak picture.
These statistics show the equivalent of one in four people in Wales are still on a waiting list.
Furthermore, over 10,000 patients in A&E waited for over 12 hours in April, which falls far short of the Welsh Government’s target of zero.
Closer to home, over 1,000 patients within the Aneurin Bevan Health Board waited over 12 hours in A&E over the same time.
There is some good news, that two-year waits have fallen across Wales, although the Welsh Government has, once again, missed its target of abolishing, which they said they would do back in 2023.
The area covered by Aneurin Bevan Health Board has 269 people waiting for over two years, compared to just 147 across the entirety of England.
We must never lose sight of the sad truth that behind every one of these statistics lies a real person’s story and their very real and painful experience.
I want to stress again that I have nothing but respect and admiration for our healthcare staff who are working in the face of extreme pressure and difficulty, however they are being let down by the Welsh Labour Government.
It is clear that our NHS remains fundamentally broken following over a quarter of a century of Labour’s mismanagement here in Wales.
The fact is that the situation is not irredeemable, the Government just has to take drastic action to fix it.
The first thing the Welsh Conservatives would do in office would be to declare a health emergency and direct the resources and entire apparatus of the Welsh Government at the health service to get the matter under control.
We will also remove restrictions on cross-border, cross-community and cross-sector capacity sharing, ensuring that we can effectively deal with the crisis.
Furthermore, we would guarantee a maximum of 12 month wait for treatment as well as a 7 day wait for GP appointments.
These are ambitious pledges, but we firmly believe that this is what the people of Wales deserve.
Under the Welsh Conservatives, our NHS wouldn’t continue to limp on as it has done under Labour. We will reverse the current trajectory and ensure that our healthcare system stops breaking all the wrong records.
Peter Fox MS - Monmouth
