NHS waiting lists have reached record highs again, with targets for cancer treatment, ambulance responses and A&E waits also missed.

Latest figures show that the number of patient pathways increased from 802,132 in October to 802,268 in November, the highest figure on record – the equivalent of over one-in-four of the Welsh population.

The estimated number of patients waiting for treatment in November reached 619,100.

Two-year waits have increased again to 24,361, despite Welsh Government promises to eliminate them by last year.

In December, the proportion of patients waiting less than four hours in Welsh emergency departments fell to 64.8 per cent from 67.6 per cent – the target is 95 per cent.

10,857 patients waited 12 hours or more (11 per cent higher than the previous month) in Welsh emergency departments in December – the target is zero patients.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremy Miles, said: “The health service in Wales continues to provide quality care to thousands of people every day, in the face of high levels of demand in often challenging circumstances.

“Over the period of this reporting period, we have seen an increase in flu and other winter respiratory illnesses, including Covid-19, which has increased pressure on emergency and urgent care services.

“In November, I increased the amount of funding to target and reduce the longest waits to £50m to support health boards to provide more treatments, more outpatient clinics and more diagnostic tests.

“These figures don’t yet reflect this investment.

“Health boards have assured me patients are getting faster treatment as a result and I look forward to seeing the impact of this in the coming months.

“The number of people waiting more than two years for treatment is now almost two-thirds lower than at its peak and the number of pathways waiting longer than a year for a first outpatient appointment is also nearly a fifth lower than at its peak in August 2022.

“There were also reductions in long waits for diagnostics and therapies in November.

“In December, the Welsh Ambulance Service reported record levels of immediately life-threatening ‘red’ 999 calls – 13 per cent higher than the previous monthly record. But the average response time was faster than last month.

“Performance improved against the 62-day cancer target in November, increasing to 60 per cent.

“Progress continues to be made in reducing the number of delayed hospital discharges.”

James Evans MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said: “These waiting time figures are truly abysmal, the worst on record and they’re worsening still, month on month.

“People are dying unnecessarily the length and breadth of Wales, families are losing loved ones prematurely and NHS staff morale is plummeting.

“Something has to change, because under Labour, the Welsh NHS is broken.”

Plaid Cymru Health Spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor, said: “Another month and waiting lists are still going in the wrong direction.

“The Labour Government have experimented with a series of plans to tackle this scandal all of which have failed.”