NHS Winter 2014-15: Wales

  • Published

The NHS in Wales is expected to see 95% of patients in four hours.

iFrame

That measures the point from arrival to being admitted, transferred or treated and sent home. No patient should wait more than 12 hours.

Data is published, external monthly. More information is available on the Welsh government's website, external. Wales does not publish the other winter pressures data included in the NHS Winter tracker.

Analysis

By Nick Triggle, BBC health correspondent

Waiting times in A&E units have actually got better in January compared with the previous month when 81% of patients were seen in four hours.

But make no mistake the first part of 2015 has been - and continues to be - very difficult for the health service in Wales.

Staff have described the pressures as "unprecedented" - and reports have also emerged of police officers having to take people to hospital because of a lack of ambulances.

It has led to operations being cancelled and extra staff called in.

Only Northern Ireland of the four parts of the UK has performed worse than Wales this winter. The latest monthly performance of 82.3% seen in four hours is much lower than the 90.8% recorded in England during that period.

The problems have come despite extra money being made available by the Welsh Government to help the NHS cope with winter pressures.