Another record month for 12-hour waits in Welsh Emergency Departments (EDs) is “dismaying”, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine says as it demands more support from policymakers.

The latest performance data for major Welsh EDs, released on November 21 by Stats Wales, showed that 10,493 people waited more than 12 hours before being admitted, discharged or transferred in October 2025.

That’s equivalent to one in every seven people enduring such an unacceptably long wait in a Welsh ED, an increase of 4% compared to last October, despite attendances only rising by 1.8%.

Slight improvements in waiting times were seen in October 2025 compared to the previous month, but across the board waits have continued to deteriorate compared to the same period in 2024.

The stats also showed:

  • Waits of 12 or more hours have more than doubled compared to October 2018, while the number of people attending ED is actually 0.5% lower
  • Around one in four patients (24.8%) waited eight or more hours in October 2025
  • Only half (53.9%) of patients were admitted, discharged or transferred within four hours, reflecting the total collapse in hospital flow across recent years
  • Delayed discharges remain an issue – with 1,493 bed days lost to patients unable to leave hospital despite being medically fit to do so, a decrease of 53 compared to last October

Dr Rob Perry, RCEM Vice President for Wales, said: “It is dismaying to see yet another worst month on record.

“With temperatures already starting to drop, today’s data is a reminder – if one was even needed – that politicians should listen to the alarm bells ringing from every ED in the country.

“Thousands of people – loved ones seeking help – found themselves waiting on trolleys or chairs for hours on end, in conditions we know put them at risk of further harm. This cannot continue.

“Meanwhile, our staff are working themselves to the bone to try and keep their patients safe. But without action from government, this will get harder and harder,” he continued.

“This has been our reality all year, even in the warmer months when we are supposed to get some respite. The winter surge is about to start, and I fear we are not ready for what’s to come.

“Minor improvements compared to September are welcome, but they are but a drop in the ocean compared to what we need to be seeing in order to escape the spiral we find ourselves in.

“The Welsh Government must continue to address delayed discharges and flow. Its recent announcement of funding for social care was a good first step – but we need sustained support.

“EM staff will step up for their patients this winter. We will get through this, but, I fear, at what cost?” he added.

The Welsh Government stated earlier this year that it is supporting health boards with a £120m plan to reduce the overall waiting list by 200,000, eliminate two-year waits and restore the eight-week diagnostic waiting target by March 2026.