Labour accused of moving the goalposts on NHS waiting times – but “still managed to miss them”

Latest NHS performance data shows Labour Government in Wales missing targets on countless measures.

Latest NHS activity and performance summary released today (Thursday, 22 May 2025) for March and April 2025 has shown the Labour Government in Wales have missed a vast series of targets aimed at reducing waits in the Welsh NHS.

One significant target missed is the First Minister’s target to reduce two year waits to 8,000 by the Spring of 2025, a target set after missing the Welsh Government’s initial target of eradicating two year waits by March 2023. The Welsh Government have been accused of “moving the goalposts and still missing” by Plaid Cymru’s health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor.

A series of other historical targets are still being missed by the Welsh government. These include:

  • Target: No one waiting for longer than a year for their first outpatient appointment by the end of 2022 (a target established in the planned care recovery plan).
    • Reality: the number of pathways waiting longer than one year for their first outpatient appointment was 71,000
  • Target: maximum wait for access to specified diagnostic tests is 8 weeks, and maximum wait for access to specified therapy services is 14 weeks – to be achieved by Spring 2024.
    • Reality: 35,200 patient pathways were waiting longer than the target time for diagnostics and 4,000 patient pathways waiting longer than the target time for therapies.
  • Target: No patients waiting longer than one year in most specialities by Spring 2025
    • Reality: Of the total pathways, 155,800 were waiting more than one year

The Government has also missed a series of rolling targets, including:

  • Target: 65% of red calls (immediately life-threatening, someone is in imminent danger of death, such as a cardiac arrest) to have a response within 8 minutes.
    • Reality: Only 50.9% of red calls arrived within 8 minutes
  • Target: 95% of new patients should spend less than 4 hours in emergency departments from arrival until admission, transfer or discharge.
    • Reality: Only 67.7% of patients spent less than 4 hours in emergency departments
  • No patient waiting more than 12 hours in emergency departments from arrival until admission, transfer or discharge.
    • In April, 10,186 patients waited 12 hours or more in emergency departments.
  • Target: 95% of patients waiting less than 26 weeks from referral.
    • Reality: Only 55.2% of patients have been waiting less than 26 weeks.
  • Target: No patients waiting more than 36 weeks for treatment from referral.
    • Reality: 268,400 patient pathways had been waiting more than 36 weeks (34.0%)
  • Target: At least 75% of patients should start treatment within 62 days (without suspensions) of first being suspected of cancer.
    • Reality: Only 63.5% of pathways started their first definitive treatment within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer.

Plaid Cymru have criticised the Labour Government’s mismanagement of the NHS over the last 26 years of power, accusing them of running the Welsh NHS into ‘the ground’, by ‘constantly’ missing targets with ‘no real sign of change’.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson on Health, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said: 

"Hundreds of thousands of people on waiting lists, over 8,000 of those waiting over two years. The fact that any Government is trying to claim that as a win, is a sign of how far down the road of Labour mismanagement we are.

"A record of constant failure and missed targets - that is the record of this Labour Government when it comes to our NHS. A record of people waiting too long, not getting the service they deserve – a record of failure.

“Even after moving the goalposts from their original target of eradicating two-year waits in 2023, Labour have still managed to miss their targets. Not only that, but on every single performance indicator – Labour have missed their targets.

"An NHS run into the ground, and waiting lists as long as this simply isn’t as good as it gets for Wales, our NHS can be so much more than this. With a new government with a credible plan for our NHS, a plan to reduce waiting lists and reform our NHS for the future. That is what Plaid Cymru offers in 2026."