A 66 year old woman recently travelled from Swansea to Lithuania to avoid a three year wait for treatment. We asked the public about the state of the NHS in Wales.
Jill Davies from Swansea had already waited four years to see a consultant and was practically unable to walk by the time she was given an estimated three year wait time for her hip replacement surgery.
She chose to travel to Lithuania where the full cycle of treatment (arrangement, operation and recovery) took just over a month. Jill is now able to walk, swim and live free from pain.
Figures show waiting times in Wales reached a record high in 2021 following setbacks during the pandemic with a fifth of the population currently on a waiting list for treatment, according to figures from Digital Health and Care Wales.
In August 2021 the Welsh Health Minister pledged more than £500 million to improve health and social services to fight Covid related costs but only £140 million of that has been set aside for recovery and tackling waiting times.
As the additional funding is currently only set to last until April 2022 we asked people: is the NHS is broken?
Fran Smith, 67, Cowbridge, retired
“I’ve been on a waiting list since 2019. The waiting lists were long but Covid has made a big difference. I have a daughter who is a nurse and I’ve seen how hard she’s worked the last 18 months. I think it’s too big, there’s too much middle management and it’s unwieldy. I think it needs restructuring or privatisation”.
Trent Cousins, 26, Abercarn, student
“We’ve not prioritised things like hip replacements because of Covid. In the media, you get a lot of the NHS being blamed but I think that’s just a distraction from the lack of legislation from the Government. There’s an argument to say they’re making the waiting lists longer in order to push towards privatisation.”
Ayan Adam, 25, Cardiff, unemployed
“The NHS is a great thing. Could it be better? Probably. I’ve had a few health issues so whenever I’ve had encounters with the NHS it’s always been quick and things have been solved properly. It’s a great blueprint. Hopefully, it can be something greater and the world can look to the NHS when they’re making their healthcare systems.”
Rhian Lewis, 39, Cwmbran, retired
“I had a long journey for my diagnosis. With MS specifically, there is a stem cell treatment. I know a lot of people who are paying to go to either Mexico or Russia to get it. A lot of people are so desperate to have…it. I don’t think much is being done to encourage people to join the NHS, particularly nurses”.
Lee Elliott, 58, Cardiff, bus driver
“A waiting list for three years is scandalous because that’s quite a painful thing to have. Last year I had trouble, I broke my arm. It was right in the middle of Covid. I’d gone past two weeks and my doctor and the hospital wouldn’t see me. I think the doctors have copped out slightly and the rest of us are still in the front line”.
Roger Thwaites, 80, Newport, retired dentist
“I think it’s very disappointing that we’ve got to a stage where people have to do that. I have had a couple of operations recently and have gone privately. I’m a bit down on the management side of the NHS. I would prefer fewer managers and more money spent on the actual work”.