For someone waiting for a hip replacement, the NHS waiting list is not an abstract policy problem. It is the difference between walking to the shops or staying indoors, sleeping through the night or waking in pain, returning to work or putting life on hold.

Across Wales, there are signs that some long waits are finally beginning to move in the right direction. More people are getting through the system for planned operations, tests and appointments. But that is only part of the story. The parts of the NHS people rely on when they are frightened, seriously ill, or waiting for cancer treatment remain under severe pressure.

The recent election in Wales makes this an important moment to take stock of the NHS: what is improving, what is still struggling and what this means for patients. The latest official figures cover March and April 2026, when the previous government’s targets still applied.

The new Plaid Cymru Welsh government has said it will continue reporting against these targets unless they are replaced or revised. Mabon ap Gwynfor, the recently appointed minister for health and care, inherits a service that is both recovering and still under real strain.

The clearest good news is in planned care. In March, just under 666,700 appointments, tests or treatments were waiting to be carried out. That was down by around 21,300 from February and marked the tenth month in a row that the number had fallen. These figures do not represent individual patients. One person may be waiting for........

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