AN “AMBITIOUS” plan to “transform planned care in Wales” and cut waiting times over the next four years has been published by Health Minister Eluned Morgan.

The plan will be supported by an extra £60m – £15m a year over the next four years – for health boards.

The Welsh Government said the plan “has been designed to help the NHS manage the backlog of appointments and treatments, which has built up during the pandemic and reduce waiting times for people with non-urgent health conditions.”

Recent statistics show that record waiting times for treatment are still growing, with fears over patient safety as backlogs and service pressures intensify.

The Health Minister said the plan aims to ensure no one will be waiting more than a year for treatment in most specialties by Spring 2025.

A series of “stretching” targets for health boards will be set out in the plan. Waiting times and waiting lists for planned care – routine referrals and non-emergency care – have been hugely affected by the pandemic across the UK.

At the start of the pandemic, the majority of appointments and treatments were postponed to enable the NHS to focus on caring for the large number of people with Covid-19.

Subsequent waves of coronavirus infections have also affected activity levels in the NHS.

Minister for Health and Social Services Eluned Morgan said: “We need a determined effort to ensure people waiting for appointments and treatment are seen as quickly as possible and in order of clinical priority.

“We are committing £1bn this Senedd term to help the NHS recover from the pandemic and to treat people as quickly as possible.

“Reducing waiting times will require new solutions, more equipment, new facilities and more staff to help diagnose people quickly as part of an effective and efficient planned care service.

“Unfortunately waiting times and waiting lists have grown during the pandemic and will take a long time and a lot of hard work to do but we are committed to working with our fantastic NHS to ensure no one waits longer than a year for treatment in most specialities by spring 2025.

“Together with reducing waiting times, we also want to help people understand and manage their conditions and to feel supported while they are waiting for treatment.

“This is a big task – but it is our focus for the rest of this term.”

Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and care, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said: “The fact that new targets are to be set is welcome, but we’ll have to assess the level of ambition and firmly hold the Government to account to ensure targets are met.”

Welsh Liberal Democrats “welcomed the clarity” the plan provides to patients and NHS staff, but it “needed to be delivered.”