Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) says by April 2027 there will be almost no patients waiting two years or more for treatment in North Wales.

The number of patients waiting more than two years has fallen by 79 per cent  in the last year – but there are still around 2,200 patients who have been waiting for treatment since at least 2024.

BCUHB Finance Director Russell Caldicott - standing in at the latest board meeting for Chief Executive Carol Shillabeer - said: “We’re now at about 2,200 patients waiting.

“We were at nearly 13,000.

“That is a dramatic improvement for us. We have secured additional resources that will substantially reduce that number further so we are anticipating having very close to zero – maybe 250 – patients waiting by the close of the financial year.”

While the longest waits are falling dramatically, in general patient waiting lists in North Wales rose by around 4,000 between April and July.

BCUHB says it remains disproportionately responsible for the longest referral to treatment waiting lists in Wales.

BCUHB has brought down the number of people waiting more than eight weeks for diagnostic tests by 66 per cent in the first five months of 2026, from 21,800 to 7,322.

Meanwhile the number of patients waiting a year for their first outpatient appointment dropped from around 30,000 to 4,000.

BCUHB improved its cancer diagnosis pathway, increasing the percentage of patients assessed within 62 days from 55 per cent to 57.1 per cent. This remains short of Welsh Government’s 75 per cent national target.

“Cancer performance is very challenged across NHS Wales,” said Mr Caldicott.

“The national average is 60 per cent so we are close.

“It is not the 75 per cent criteria we would all want to be achieving of course so cancer is a key area of focus.”