Less wait at Vale (From Penarth Times)

Less wait at Vale

THE Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust is celebrating this week after hitting waiting list targets set by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The Trust's Chief Executive Hugh Ross said: "Last year we were set challenging targets by the Welsh Assembly Government to improve our patients' access to care - and through excellent team work we've done it.

"We have been able to care for 12,900 inpatients and day case patients who were on the waiting list this time last year. We have also been successful in reducing the waiting times for outpatients to 18 months and maintained a variety of other waiting targets."

In line with Welsh Assembly Government (Wag) targets set in June 2004, the trust was required to treat inpatients or day case patients within 12 months by March 2005.

Rhiannon Matthews, trust press officer, said: "Although our trust had been making progress towards reducing waiting times, at the time we had 1,885 inpatients and day cases waiting between 12 and 18 months, and 622 more patients waiting more than 18 months.

"We worked with the WAG to agree an action plan and agreed to meet a maximum 18 months waiting time by October 31, 2004 and 12 months by March 31, 2005.

"We met our 18-month target by November with over 800 patients being treated. But the 12-month target clearly required a major effort to meet the needs of 2,860 patients in General Surgery, Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery and Ear, Nose and Throat care - all within five months."

As part of the trust's action plan to meet the targets, part of Bethan Ward at Llandough was converted to a nine-bedded short stay surgical unit for the treatment of long-waiting patients.

Rhiannon added: "The trust has also worked closely with WAG's Second Offer Commissioning Team.

"We made a second offer to all patients who could not be addressed within the maximum 12 month waiting time.