The Welsh Conservatives have accused Labour of presiding over a crisis in the Welsh NHS, pointing to years of missed targets and declining standards of care. Labour has held responsibility for the health service since devolution in 1999, and the party now stands accused of failing patients and staff alike.
According to the party's shadow health minister, Darren Millar, more people than ever are waiting for their first hospital appointment in Wales, with one in seven waiting over 36 weeks. Accident and emergency targets have not been met for five years, while urgent cancer waiting targets have been missed for six. Patients in Wales are also four times less likely to receive new cancer treatments than those in England.
Mr Millar highlighted the recent Andrews report into standards of care in the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg health board area, which detailed severe failings, including a woman overheard saying "I am in hell", a mother left without medication, food or water for days, and a father forced to wash himself with only a cloth and a bowl. He insisted that NHS staff were not to blame, describing the service as a "national treasure".
The Conservatives argue that the root cause lies with the Welsh Labour government's decision in 2010 to cut the NHS budget in real terms, unlike the ring-fencing of health spending in England. They are now calling for an independent, Wales-wide inquiry into the health service, a move supported by the British Medical Association, a patients' watchdog in north Wales, and senior Labour MP Ann Clwyd. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, who led a similar review in England, has also suggested such a route could be beneficial.
The political row comes after UK Labour leader Ed Miliband said 18 months ago that there was "a great deal to learn" from the Welsh government. In response to the criticism, Welsh Health Minister Mark Drakeford has defended Labour's record on the NHS, arguing that the party remains committed to improving services for patients.
