RCP Cymru Wales has published its response to the Senedd health and social care committee short inquiry into the impact of the waiting times backlog on people in Wales who are waiting for diagnosis or treatment.
Key recommendations
- There are not enough staff available to bring down NHS waiting lists: The waiting times backlog is partly the result of a huge shortfall in doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and social care staff. The Welsh government should work with NHS Wales to double the number of medical school places over the next five years.
- Health inequalities should be tackled through a comprehensive, funded cross-government strategy: Tackling the causes of avoidable ill-health will reduce the waiting times backlog – the NHS and social care can only pick up the pieces when people get ill. We need to keep people healthy in the first place.