This summer's multiple heatwaves have driven record-breaking demand on hospitals in Wales, with over 104,000 emergency department attendances in July – the highest number ever recorded. Alongside Wales' hottest July on record, the NHS saw an average of 3,357 people attending emergency departments across the country each day.
Record Demand and Staff Strain
Welsh NHS Confederation director Darren Hughes described the record number of attendances as "concerning." New figures show the "significant pressure" hospitals and ambulance staff face across Wales, especially during extreme warm weather when demand increases.
Mr Hughes said: "The recent hot weather has taken its toll on the NHS, contributing to record demand and placing staff under considerable strain as many worked in high temperatures." He added: "July saw the highest number of emergency department attendances on record for Wales – a deeply concerning milestone more often associated with the pressures of winter."
Health Impacts of Hot Weather
Mr Hughes noted that hot weather increases demand and contributes to incidents such as falls through dehydration, dizziness, low blood pressure, fatigue, and reduced mobility. He said: "But these figures show a health and care system under unrelenting and escalating pressure."
He added: "We must prioritise reducing demand for healthcare services across the whole of government and target efforts to enhance community care access, if we are to ensure services can meet the future needs of people across Wales."
Waiting Times and Ambulance Response
Although patient numbers increased at emergency departments, the time they spent there decreased from June to two hours and 57 minutes. Of the 104,052 attendances to emergency departments across Wales, only 15,200 patients were admitted to hospital, which was still 5.6% higher than the previous month.
In July there were 946 purple calls to the ambulance service, 5,025 red calls, 12,852 orange calls, 5,110 yellow calls, and 1,456 green calls. The median response time target for both purple and red calls is between six and eight minutes. Ambulance staff achieved this target for purple calls with a median time of 7 minutes 39 seconds, however red calls were responded to in 9 minutes 13 seconds.
Government Response
Minister for health and care in Wales Mabon ap Gwynfor admitted waiting times remained "nowhere near where it should be" and said tackling the backlog of patients was his "number one priority." He said: "The statistics are stark and I won't pretend otherwise. Performance on overall waiting times is nowhere near where it should be. The people of Wales deserve better and as a new government we are working at pace to build an NHS in Wales where people are seen and treated much more quickly than today." He added: "We must see an NHS that works better for patients and the people delivering that care."
