Wrexham Maelor Hospital had the second highest number of cancelled appointments for a single hospital – 121,320 and cancelled 3,705 operations, the fourth most in Wales.

Figures discovered by the Welsh Conservatives reveal the scale of cancelled hospital operations and appointments, leading to the NHS backlog being experienced now.

Freedom of Information (FoI) requests found that during the first 18 months of the pandemic (April 2020-September 2021), there were 50,740 cancelled operations and 1,343,467 cancelled appointments in Welsh hospitals.

The findings will resurface concerns that the costs of lockdowns extend beyond the economic, and into the realm of physical as well as mental health. This is reinforced by the record treatment backlog in NHS Wales where one in five people in Wales is on a waiting list.

In total, Betsi Cadwaladr had 322, 359 appointment cancellations and 11,227 operation cancellations.

131,989 of those appointments were cancelled by patients and some in instances where they did not attend.

Gill Harris, Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic continues to place unprecedented demand on our services and this is having a significant impact on our ability to fulfil planned care appointments. Unfortunately, this is likely to continue over the coming months and we sincerely apologise to those affected.

“We are doing everything we can to minimise disruption and ensure that people with the highest clinical need are prioritised for treatment at the earliest opportunity.

“Patients can help us by making every effort to stick to their appointment and letting us know in advance if they are unable to attend. Failing to notify us in advance wastes vital resources and prevents other people waiting from accessing treatment sooner.”

The disclosure comes as NHS Wales revealed its worst ever A&E waits, longest ever treatment waiting list, and slowest ever ambulance response times.

Commenting, Welsh Conservative and Shadow Health Minister Russell George MS said:

“This avalanche of cancellations was obviously a consequence of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns and shows just how much we rely on the hard-working staff in our NHS.

“It is clear from this information that the cost of lockdowns go beyond the economic, and include physical and mental health. We can see that now in record long treatment backlogs, A&E waiting times, and ambulance responses.

“In addition, to prevent further damage from Covid, we have called for the appointment of a vaccines minister, the rapid rollout of booster jab walk-in centres, the reopening of mass vaccination centres currently closed, and a commitment to keeping schools open.”