An ambitious plan to transform planned care in Wales and cut waiting times over the next four years is being published by Health Minister Eluned Morgan.

Supported by an extra £60 million – £15 million a year over the next four years – for health boards, the plan has been designed to help the NHS manage the backlog of appointments and treatments, which has built up during the pandemic and reduce waiting times for people with non-urgent health conditions.

The Welsh Government said that the plan aims to ensure no one will be waiting more than a year for treatment  in most specialties by Spring 2025.

Details included in the plan include a goal for 35 per cent of all new appointments and 50 per cent of follow-up appointments being delivered virtually in future and to deliver more diagnostic tests outside hospitals and closer to people’s homes in primary and community care settings.

Eluned Morgan, Minister for Health and Social Services, said: “We need a determined effort to ensure people waiting for appointments and treatment are seen as quickly as possible and in order of clinical priority. We are committing £1bn this Senedd term to help the NHS recover from the pandemic and to treat people as quickly as possible.

“Reducing waiting times will require new solutions, more equipment, new facilities and more staff to help diagnose people quickly as part of an effective and efficient planned care service. This plan sets out how we will transform planned care so the most urgent cases are prioritised.

“Unfortunately waiting times and waiting lists have grown during the pandemic and will take a long time and a lot of hard work to do but we are committed to working with our fantastic NHS to ensure no one waits longer than a year for treatment in most specialities by spring 2025.

“Together with reducing waiting times, we also want to help people understand and manage their conditions and to feel supported while they are waiting for treatment. This is a big task – but it is our focus for the rest of this term.”