The longest waits for treatment in Wales’ NHS have risen again, fresh figures show, with Health Secretary Jeremy Miles calling the spike “disappointing.”

The latest NHS statistics for Wales revealed NHS treatment waiting lists have increased to 796,100 pathways, the equivalent of nearly 1-in-4 Welsh people.

Two-year NHS waits for treatment have also risen again to 10,300.

The Welsh Government said the increase in May was “anticipated”, remain lower than the peak, and remained “confident of a significant reduction” in the next set of data for June.

Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said: "It's disappointing to see the longest waits for treatment rise after we brought them down in recent months, but they are 85 per cent lower than the peak.

“But I am confident we will see another significant reduction next month – when we receive the end of quarter one position – based on the feedback I have received from health boards and that we will be on track in our plans to eliminate two year waits.”

James Evans MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said: “The latest figures prove Labour’s health strategy is failing and the so-called progress they celebrated recently was just a flash in the pan.

“Progress is in reverse and it’s clear that this Welsh Government has run out of ideas.

“No one should be waiting over a year for treatment.

“That’s why the Welsh Conservatives would declare a health emergency, to ensure that resources and the efforts of the whole Government are targeted at reducing these excessive waits.”

Plaid Cymru health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, said: “Seeing the longest waits rise yet again will be a matter of great disappointment to the people of Wales.

“Over 26 years in charge of our NHS, Labour has let Wales down.

"After throwing hundreds of millions at tackling waiting lists, and failing, it's clear that Labour's time is up.

"Our NHS is in crisis, and it needs a fresh start.

“A Plaid Cymru Government in 2026 will do just that - with our plan to tackle waiting lists, co-produced with clinicians and health managers, we will make sure that those who need treatment are seen faster."

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “The latest NHS performance figures are nothing short of a damning indictment of 25 years of Labour mismanagement in Wales.

“These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet, they are real people left to suffer in pain, anxiety and fear.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear, we won’t solve the crisis in our NHS without first addressing the crisis in social care.

“That means ending bed blocking and also investing properly in primary care and GP services, ensuring illness is caught and treated early, not when it becomes an emergency.”

Elsewhere, the number of people waiting more than an hour to transfer from an ambulance into an emergency department in Wales has fallen by almost a fifth, while performance improved against the 62-day target for starting cancer treatment.