Significant improvements in waiting times for outpatient appointments in North Wales

22 January 2026

Performance Update: Referral to Treatment Time (RTT) waiting times

Data up to November 2025

We have made significant improvements in reducing the waiting times for first outpatient appointments in North Wales over the past 12 months.

With support from Welsh Government, we have expanded the number of clinics provided during evenings and weekends across several specialities. Since 6 September 2025, more than 45,000 additional weekend appointments have been offered, with 36,578 more patients seen. We have been able to prioritise patients in order of their clinical need so they can receive the care they need as soon as possible. We also launched a dedicated support service helping patients to stay well and prepare for treatment while they wait.

 As of November 2025, we have seen the following improvements:

• The number of patients waiting more than two years for their first outpatient appointment has reduced by 88% in comparison to November 2024
• Patients are progressing through their care sooner, with 42% waiting for a first appointment (compared to 55% at this time last year), and 38% at the diagnostic and decision stages (compared to 29% at this time last year)
• Almost 6,000 fewer patients are waiting more than two years, a 58% reduction compared to November 2024

Although the latest performance data shows we have made significant progress, we recognise there is still a significant amount of work to do. We are committed to reducing waiting times and ensuring patients receive the high-quality care they deserve as quickly as possible.

We are providing this update on Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times for patients in North Wales to coincide with the release of the NHS Wales Activity and Performance Summary (Referral to Treatment statistics).