Waiting List Needs More Blitz Despite Improvement

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 30th Mar 2005

Welsh Liberal Democrats Assembly Leader Mike German has welcomed the slight improvement in patient waiting times in Wales published today, but called for more to be done during his Blitz the List campaign tour.

The figures show that there are still 3,381 out-patients and 368 in-patients waiting for over 18 months. Number of out-patients waiting for over 12 months is 18,110 and of in-patients is 3,555. This is not happening anywhere else in the UK.

Mr German said: "I welcome the slight improvement made but this is nowhere near enough where we should be. Waiting times of 12 and 18 months are a national scandal. This bears no comparison with the situation in England and Scotland. The Labour Assembly Government is simply not doing enough."

As part of his tour, Mr German will be visiting the University of Wales Hospital today and will be joined by Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Cardiff Central Jenny Willott and local AM Jenny Randerson.

Jenny Willott said: "The statistics are still shocking. Long waits have serious repercussions on the quality of life of patients. Far too many are waiting and they are waiting for far too long. Cutting waiting times is one of our top priorities. It is time to put patients first."