November 21, 2025 - 421 views
Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Miles has revealed encouraging progress for Wales' health service with over 41,000 additional outpatient appointments delivered by the end of October.
Ambulance handover times and delays outside emergency departments have significantly decreased compared to last year.
Mr. Miles also announced further measuresto improve emergency and planned care performance, especially for the struggling Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles, said: "I am pleased the £120m investment I announced in June to support the NHS is making a positive difference. By the end of October, this has seen more than 41,000 additional outpatient appointments delivered. A further 14,800 outpatient appointments were provided in the first two weekends of November.
"In October, there were 43% fewer hours lost in ambulance patient handover times and 42% fewer delays of more than an hour outside emergency departments, compared to last year.
"This means ambulance crews are able to respond to people experiencing cardiac arrests within the response time, and response times for 'amber' category patients improved by 23 minutes compared to October 2024.
"I know there is more to be done.
"On Wednesday, I announced further measures to help Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board improve emergency and planned care performance.
"Despite some signs of improvements since it was placed in special measures in February 2023, significant and persistent challenges remain.
"The steps being taken are necessary to ensure people receive the care they deserve. Yesterday, I held a public accountability meeting with the health board in North Wales – where we held them to account, including on waiting times targets; the health board’s financial position and outlook; and quality and safety."
