MORE than 700,000 people in Wales are waiting for NHS treatment following a huge increase in the past year.

The number of people on an NHS waiting list in Wales has exploded by 100,000 people in just one year, recent figures show.

The latest Welsh NHS data for July showed the highest ever number of patients waiting for treatment with 743,229 on patient pathways – up from 644,463 the same time in 2021 – leaving well over a fifth of the Welsh people on the waiting list.

The number of people waiting over two years is now 60,557 – up from 15,790 a year ago – while the number is fewer than 3,000 in both England and Scotland. 

Also, one in four Welsh patients wait over a year for treatment, but only one-in-20 do so in England. 

Welsh Conservative and Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said: “Time and time again we see these extraordinary waits in the Labour-run NHS but little strategy to tackle them.

“Labour need to get a grip on the NHS and stop breaking all the wrong records.”

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A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We continue to see improvements and a high number of people receiving treatment, with over 358,000 consultations taking place in the latest month.

"The number of pathways waiting more than two years decreased for the fourth consecutive month, falling by 14% since the peak in March. July also saw just over 87,000 patient pathways closed, a significant increase from the early stages of the pandemic and 10% higher than for the same month in 2021.

"Performance against targets for diagnostic and therapies services continues to improve despite a general increase in demand for both services. Emergency care staff and services remain under pressure and performance is not where we, health boards nor the public want it to be. 

"We continue to prioritise improving discharge planning and an increase in community capacity ahead of the winter period."