Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 1:31 pm on 4 November 2020.
Plainly, the COVID pandemic has clearly had a very significant impact on waiting times, for both out-patient appointments and planned treatments. The number of patients waiting more than 36 weeks for treatment within Swansea bay health board stood at 22,453 at the end of August this year, compared to 3,263 at the same time last year. Now, we know that the health board has made some use of out-patient and theatre capacity at Swansea's Sancta Maria Hospital, but this is not a sustainable option long term. So, could I ask what additional actions are you taking, Minister, to address this issue? And do you agree that you need to do more in terms of developing not just COVID-lite pathways but COVID-lite hospitals or stand-alone units within the Swansea bay health board area in order to significantly increase capacity to tackle this backlog?