Enough waiting: Llais wants urgent action on emergency care in Wales

Through 42 visits to hospitals, minor injury, and medical assessment units, Llais listened to over 700 people,

In a report published this week they said the message was clear: urgent and emergency care is failing too many people, and change is too slow.

Despite multiple strategies, plans, commitments and projects, and the introduction of the Duty of Quality, people are not seeing real improvements.

Llais said this crisis must not be accepted as ‘just how things are’.

People across Wales shared their experiences, highlighting serious gaps in care including long waits - many waited eight–24 hours, often in overcrowded corridors. 

Others spoke of overcrowded and inaccessible spaces – many waiting areas do not meet the needs of disabled people, neurodivergent people, or children and ambulance delays and access issues meant people arranged their own transport, facing parking chaos and unclear signage. 

People appreciated the dedication of NHS staff but saw they are overwhelmed and stretched beyond capacity. 

Many people said that once they were seen by healthcare professionals, they received good care. However, the long waits, lack of communication, and overcrowding make the overall experience stressful and frustrating, and too often feels unsafe.

Alyson Thomas, CEO of Llais, said: “The voices we’ve heard paint a stark picture of a system under immense pressure. While we commend the dedication of healthcare staff, they are working in a system that is not giving them or the people they care for the support they need.

“Welsh Government and NHS Wales must act now to turn strategies and plans into meaningful change. Immediate improvements are essential to ease the current crisis, but we also need a clear programme of action to make sure emergency care is fit for the future.”

Professor Medwin Hughes, Chair of Llais, said: “Emergency care in Wales is at breaking point.

“What we heard from patients and staff across the country exposes a system under extreme and unsustainable pressure, where the well-being of both patients and healthcare professionals is at significant risk.

“People across Wales are asking for timely, dignified care, and they deserve nothing less. People need urgent answers: what will make things better, and who will make sure real change happens.

“The Welsh Government and NHS Wales have set out strong principles, but principles alone will not fix a system in crisis. Now is the time for action. Strong leadership and collaboration are essential to deliver real change for people and communities.

“Now is the time for action. A national conversation, involving both patients and professionals, must take place to rebuild trust and confidence in the NHS. The situation demands nothing less.”

Llais is calling for urgent action - clear leadership and delivery, a focus on joined-up action and accountability, to use existing partnerships, oversight and escalation mechanisms to drive real improvements, and to make responsibilities clear for everyone .

They want to reduce waiting times and overcrowding, and to improve coordination across health and social care to prevent system bottlenecks.

Brecon and Radnorshire Senedd Member James Evans MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care said: “Emergency care is losing the very essence of its definition. Responses are too slow and far too many people are suffering as a result of Labour’s mismanagement.

“Llais is clear, winter pressures are no excuse for what is becoming a ‘new normal’ in our health service. No one should be waiting over twelve hours in A&E, certainly not the many thousands we are seeing every month.

“The Welsh Labour Government seem completely unwilling to get to grips with this situation. Only the Welsh Conservatives stand ready to replace them so that we can fix Wales.”