NHS waiting lists reaching a record high is “disappointing”, the Welsh Government Health Minister has said, as calls are made for immediate action to tackle the growing problem.

The latest Welsh NHS statistics revealed that overall waits for treatment in the Welsh NHS in October were 764,465 patient pathways – up again from 761,111 in September, with 596,000 individual patients waiting for treatment, the eighth consecutive increase and the highest on record.

Two-year waits remain at 25,669, despite fresh commitments from the Welsh Government to eliminate waits of that length.

Nearly one in five people in Wales are on a waiting list, the figures show.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson for Health and Social Care and Dwyfor Meirionnydd MS Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “Month after month, NHS waiting times are published with disappointing inevitability, and at the end of 2023 we learn that waiting lists have reached a record high.

“Waiting times for cancer treatment is the second highest on record, and ambulance response times remain some way behind target.

“This comes a year and a half after the Labour Government announced its programme to cut waiting lists in Wales, but the evidence would suggest their plans have dismally failed.

“Monthly increases in the number of people on NHS waiting lists clearly shows that simply throwing money at the system while also cutting funding for preventative services won’t tackle the root causes of the huge challenges the service faces.

“We need a clear strategy from Welsh Government that includes a more targeted approach to tackle waiting times by prioritising those most in need, to better fund preventative health measures, and to invest in the workforce by providing them with the working conditions and contracts they deserve.”

Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister and Montgomeryshire MS Russell George said: “Waiting lists in our Welsh NHS have hit a new record high for both treatment and diagnostic services, with two-year waits still standing at over 25,000 which is 135 times higher than in Conservative-run England. Labour is not delivering results.

“The Labour Government need to get to grips with this and finally prioritise our health service.

“I am urging Labour ministers to park plans for more politicians and constitutional tinkering so that Wales can see a fully resourced health service an end to these atrocious waiting times.”

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said it was “disappointing to see overall waiting lists reaching their highest levels on record.”

“That is due to the number of people joining the waiting lists,” she said.

“But over the last 12 months waiting lists in Wales have only increased by one per cent compared to seven per cent in England.”