Wales scraps automatic follow-ups to cut NHS waiting lists

Wales' health minister has unveiled a plan to permanently reduce NHS waiting lists by scrapping automatic follow-up appointments, aiming to free up tens of thousands of hospital slots for first-time specialist consultations. The plan is backed by £145m in funding. Under the reforms, patients will only receive follow-up appointments if clinically necessary, allowing consultants to spend 80% of their time operating instead of the current 50%. Health boards will be paid only upon proven treatment completion, and the longest-waiting patients will be prioritized unless clinical reasons dictate otherwise. The plan targets reducing waiting lists to pre-Covid levels of about 460,000 cases by the end of the Senedd term, though no exact date is set for eliminating two-year waits. It includes pledges for increased surgical capacity, faster GP referral reviews, and expanded diagnostic tools, with health boards required to share best practices.