With over 620,000 people in Wales being stuck on an NHS waiting list, we all have experienced or know someone is waiting to be seen or receive treatment.
It is clear that the Welsh Government has completely lost control of the situation with waiting lists having risen to record levels every month for the last nine consecutive months.
To make matters worse, there are currently 25,000 people who have had to wait more than two years for an appointment despite the fact that waits of that length have been virtually eliminated in England when the Conservatives were in power.
I completely agree with the Prime Minister when he says the NHS in Wales desperately needs reform and I’m not surprised that he has changed his tune when he previously claimed that Welsh Labour was the blueprint for power.
It is clear there are massive problems within the Welsh NHS that have to be dealt with.
For 25 years, successive Labour First Ministers and Health Ministers have failed to grasp the severity of the situation and do anything about it.
Yes, the situation is in crisis, but it is not beyond repair. The Welsh Conservatives have a plan to fix our NHS, improving patient outcomes and alleviating pressures on our hardworking NHS staff.
Firstly, we need to see social care given more focus in Wales as 15% of NHS beds are currently being occupied by people who are ready to go home but cannot because of the lack of care in their community. This will free up beds and remove the bottleneck that has built up in the health system here, be that delayed transfers of care or ambulance waiting times.
We will bring forward a substantial workforce plan with a tuition fee refund for healthcare workers that stay in Wales for five years after their studies. This will drastically increase the number of NHS staff we have here and alleviate staffing pressures.
We need to ensure that every penny that the Welsh Government gets from any increase in NHS spending will be made available for our healthcare service, but we have to ensure every penny spent in the Welsh healthcare service is used effectively and that the systems are as efficient as possible.
Only through a real grasp of the issues can we hope to tackle the crisis in our NHS and ensure that the people of Wales get the healthcare service they deserve.
Peter Fox MS - Monmouth
