WELSH nationalists pledged today to establish surgical hubs across Wales to tackle huge waiting lists in the Welsh NHS if they win the 2026 Senedd election.

Plaid Cymru’s health spokesman Mabon ap Gwynfor unveiled his party’s short-term plan to tackle the treatment backlog and bring down NHS waiting lists.

The party said that NHS waiting lists in Wales have hit record highs every month since March 2024, and surpassed 800,000 in October, with around 620,300 people awaiting treatment.

“Despite the First Minister making tackling waiting lists her priority, over 600,000 people in Wales are still waiting for NHS treatment. It should not be this way,” Mr ap Gwynfor said.

“On day one, a Plaid government will establish an executive triage service; ensure greater collaboration between health boards to identify capacity for appointments; [and] take advantage of technology and telemedicine to get people’s symptoms assessed quicker.

“[It will] match staff to the demands of waiting lists in different specialities and introduce temporary surgical hubs across Wales to get people treated.”

The party’s plan was set out the same day the Wales auditor-general’s report on cancer services was published.

Mr ap Gwynfor said the report was a “damning indictment of Labour’s lack of leadership on the NHS.

“Not a single health board has met cancer treatment targets since 2020, and Labour's only response is to throw more money at the front line rather than coming up with actual solutions.”

Mr ap Gwynfor said the party planned to tackle high waiting lists in the short term as part of a long-term vision to improve the NHS and make it fit for the future.

FM Eluned Morgan claimed her government had already implemented all of Plaid’s proposals when asked in the Senedd to adopt them.