The Welsh Government plans to invest £1.5 billion in healthcare to tackle soaring NHS waiting lists and improve services across the board.
Cardiff: The Welsh Government is stepping up its game with a hefty £1.5 billion boost for healthcare next year. This funding aims to tackle those frustratingly long NHS waiting times that have been plaguing the system.
As part of a proposed £26 billion budget for 2025-26, this extra cash is set to make a real difference. Over £600 million of it will go directly to health and social care, focusing on cutting waiting times and enhancing mental health services.
Right now, more than 619,000 people in Wales are stuck on waiting lists, which is just crazy. Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford is calling this budget a chance to “rebuild and reinvigorate our public services.”
He’s optimistic, saying it’s a budget for a brighter future after years of tough decisions. The plan includes increases for all departments, with health and social care getting a significant chunk of that extra funding.
Drakeford also mentioned that while this budget is a step in the right direction, it’ll take time to fix the issues caused by years of neglect from previous UK governments.
So, while the draft budget will be discussed soon, it won’t be voted on until March next year. The Welsh Labour Government will need some support from other parties to get it through the Senedd.