New statistics published by the Welsh Government have confirmed that Hywel Dda University Health Board is the worst performing health board in Wales, when it comes to waiting times for cancer treatments.

The figures show that in June 2019, the first comparable month as the Welsh Government introduced the single cancer pathway of treatment within 62 days, 84.7% of patients started treatment within the Welsh Government’s target. That figure then drastically fell to 67.2% in September, a drop of 17.5%.

Mr Davies said: “The statistics released make for very grim reading and I hope that the management at Hywel Dda University Health Board will take urgent access to address them. It’s simply unacceptable that so many people are waiting for treatment and that those waiting times are rising. The continued failure to meet this target in West Wales must be a cause for concern for the Welsh Government and it’s clear that steps must now be taken to stop this problem worsening in the future. Patients across the Hywel Dda Health Board area must feel confident that when they’re faced with a lifechanging condition, that services are there to be accessed in a timely and appropriate manner.”

ENDS