By Sam Rowlands

MS for North Wales

In addition to my position as Senedd Member for North Wales, I am also the Shadow Minister for Health.

This means I have an important additional role in scrutinising the Welsh Government on health issues – that includes all manner of things such as the management of Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board or Accident and Emergency waiting times.

One thing that always crops up as a huge issue is NHS waiting lists. No matter where you are in Wales, it’s a problem.

Unfortunately, the latest NHS statistics for Wales revealed an increase in the number of people on waiting lists – it’s now the highest level on record for the fifth consecutive month.

As is stands, more than 615,000 patients are now waiting to start treatment. That’s in a nation of just over three million people.

That’s pretty staggering. If you’re not on a waiting list yourself, you’ll probably know some who is or at least know someone who knows someone that is!

It’s pretty clear to everyone that the NHS is in crisis and that the Labour Welsh Government have failed to bear down on these excessive lists.

The numbers can seem overwhelming, but behind every one of those statistics is a human being with a life and a family. Sometimes they are in indescribable pain, with chronic illnesses that aren’t getting attended to.

The ambulance service is under immense strain, too. Those latest statistics show that just 48.2% of red calls (the most serious) were attended within eight minutes. The Welsh Government’s own target is 65% of those calls being attended to within that eight minute mark.

I could go on and on about a myriad of other areas where numbers are getting worse and targets aren’t getting met.

The new First Minister, Eluned Morgan, was the Health Minister until she got the top job. That Health role is now filled by former First Minister Mark Drakeford, which we are told is only on an interim basis.

I was surprised that a huge job like Health Minister is being given out on a temporary basis.

This isn’t a football club that needs a new manager until the end of the season, it’s a health system that is creaking and in desperate need of effective leadership and administration.

If you have any queries or issues you’d like to raise with me, then you can get in touch by emailing sam.rowlands@senedd.wales