Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) has warned that the NHS is “still struggling with workforce shortages, increasing demand for services, and ongoing issues with patient flow that are affecting both planned and emergency care.”

In its Annual Report for 2023-2024, HIW highlighted the hard work and dedication of healthcare staff, but also brought to light the sustained pressure and challenges facing the system.

HIW said that work identified “ongoing problems with overcrowding and long wait times in Emergency Departments across Wales”, with patients “often facing delays in assessment and treatment, with many waiting longer for hospital admission due to bed shortages.”

“Issues with patient flow, including delays in transferring patients from the emergency department to wards, further contribute to overcrowding and prolonged wait times,” the report said.

“These challenges, along with staff shortages, continue to strain healthcare services as demand rises.”

The report found that “many patients are facing significant delays in accessing planned care” and that “waiting lists for treatments and operations are too long.”

Despite these pressures, the report highlights positive initiatives aimed at improving urgent and out-of-hours care.

New systems, including alternative options for patients in need of urgent care, have been developed to ease the strain on emergency departments.