Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:19 pm on 6 June 2017.
Thank you for that response. Now, in the most recent cross-party group meeting on sight, we discussed data that show that health boards the length and breadth of Wales had 37,247 patients who were suffering delays in terms of their follow-up appointments in ophthalmology. Clinical investigations have shown that some 90 per cent of these patients are at risk of permanent damage to their sight—that’s 33,351 individuals in Wales who are at risk of losing their sight. Do you agree that this is a disgrace? And would you agree to publish the number of patients who are suffering delays to their follow-up treatment as part of your regular data on the performance of the health service?