Plaid Cymru to spend additional £145 million this year on slashing waiting times and diagnostic hubs as government looks for long-term solutions. 

The new Welsh government has pledged to spend an extra £100 million this year on bringing down NHS waiting lists. The figure is part of an overall £145 million package, with £25 million invested in new surgical and diagnostic hubs and the remainder on essential maintenance across NHS estates. 

The funding is part of Plaid Cymru’s supplementary budget for 2026 to 2027, with first minister Rhun ap Iorwerth saying tackling waiting lists is an urgent priority, arguing that additional diagnostic hubs will mean people are seen more quickly. 

While the cash boost has been welcomed, health care leaders are urging the government not to lose focus on other parts of the NHS, such as community and social care. 

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, approved Plaid Cymru’s pledge to “develop a long-term strategy” to address waiting times but argued, “it is essential that we take a whole-system view of health and care”. 

The announcement comes as the latest NHS Wales performance figures show the number of people waiting for treatment rose by just over 13,000 in April to about 680,000, following ten months of consecutive decline. 

The number of people waiting more than a year for treatment rose very slightly in April, to 96,4000, while the number of two-year waits increased from 2,589 in March to 3,694 in April. 

Inconsistent staffing 

Plaid Cymru came to power last month after defeating Welsh Labour, which had been in power for 27 years. 

Health care campaigners and politicians will be looking closely to see how waiting lists fare under their leadership. 

The extra funding is part of the new government’s supplementary budget for this financial year, having inherited Labour’s £27 billion budget, almost half of which is spent on the NHS and social care. 

Nicola Williams, executive director of The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales, argues that “buildings and equipment alone” will not cut waiting times, and that inconsistent staffing in the workforce needs to be addressed. 

The RCN says that while newly qualified nurses are struggling to find jobs amid a lack of vacancies, there is an urgent need for more staff, with those currently employed under a huge amount of strain, going without breaks and often unable to give patients the care they need. 

This intervention comes as Plaid Cymru hosted its first graduate summit earlier this month, where workforce issues in the NHS were discussed.