PLANS to ensure patients are “waiting well” have been described as an admission that long NHS backlogs in Wales are here to stay.

Eluned Morgan told the Senedd that the Welsh Government’s focus cannot solely be on increasing the capacity of health services to meet ever-increasing demand.

The health minister said Wales must also seek to address demand through preventative approaches and supporting people to take control of their own health.

Baroness Morgan told the chamber: “There’s a real opportunity especially to encourage them to do this while they wait for NHS treatment”.

Highlighting the Welsh Government’s “promote, prevent and prepare” strategy, she said everyone waiting for elective care will have a single point of contact by spring.

The Welsh Government has claimed the “waiting well” policy will help prevent 6,000 last-minute cancellations of NHS treatment, but Dwyfor Meirionnydd Mabon ap Gwynfor raised concerns that “waiting well” is simply a tacit admission that long waiting lists will be here for the foreseeable future.

The shadow minister pointed out that 19 per cent of the Welsh population is on a waiting list.

He said: “Waiting well cannot mean simply managing the status quo. It must be one part of an overarching and integrated strategy for clearing the backlog.”

Mr ap Gwynfor also raised concerns about more patients seeking private treatment, creating a two-tier system of health care and entrenching class-based inequalities.

He called for assurances that the approach to dealing with waiting lists is more than simply leaving it to the private sector.

Baroness Morgan said waiting well is not only about clearing the backlog: “It’s also about optimising the chance of that patient getting a better outcome.”

She added that the Welsh Government wants to improve facilities in A&E departments to give people a better experience.

“Ideally, you don’t want them to wait there at all,” she said.

“But I’m just accepting the fact that the chances are that we’re not going to be able to fix this immediately, so I do think it’s important for us to engage in this.”

Montgomeryshire Russell George, the Conservatives’ shadow minister, said many of the targets set out in the 2022 planned care recovery plan have been missed.

He broadly welcomed the proactive, tailored approach and single point of contact, but raised concerns about the capacity of the workforce.

Baroness Morgan highlighted positive feedback from users of the service which attempts to take the pressure off GPs and consultants.

She raised Hywel Dda health board’s waiting list support service as an example of good practice, saying a review found it increased patient satisfaction and reduced complaints.