THE number of patients in Gwent waiting more than 36 weeks for treatment in the area's hospitals - following referral to a specialist - increased by almost a quarter during October.

A further 6,460 patients went beyond the maximum 36-week waiting time during that month, the latest for which figures are available, taking the total to 32,691, an increase of 24.6 per cent since September.

Add to this the 3,377 Gwent patients who by October 31 had been waiting more than 36 weeks for NHS treatment in hospitals in other health board areas in Wales - mainly in the neighbouring Cardiff & Vale and Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board areas - and the total topped 36,000.

The situation in Gwent mirrored that across the rest of Wales, as a resurgent coronavirus continued to pose capacity difficulties in terms of enabling hospitals to perform routine operations, even though such treatments had resumed by then.

More than a third of these waits of more than 36 weeks - approaching 11,000 by October 31 - were for patients awaiting orthopaedic operations, such as hip and knee replacements.

Close to 5,500 patients had been waiting longer than 36 weeks for eye (ophthalmology) treatments, and more than 4,800 ENT (ear, nose and throat) patients were in a same position.

General surgery, urology and dermatology each had more than 2,000 patients waiting more than 36 weeks.

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With many NHS Wales staff off sick or having to self-isolate, staffing operating theatres was a key problem, and remains so as the winter kicks in.

Capacity has been reduced too, because of the need to minimise infections risks, so the number of patients who can be treated during surgery sessions has fallen, and some operations are deemed too risky.

Another factor causing difficulties for routine treatments has been reduced capacity in terms of operating theatre space.

It is clear that tackling the backlog of long waits for treatment will take several years, not least because the latest figures pre-date the surge in coronavirus cases across Wales since the firebreak lockdown, which ended early in November, and the subsequent scaling back of elective treatments in many parts of Wales - including Gwent - in recent weeks.

Across Wales, 205,047 patients had been waiting more than 36 weeks for elective hospital treatment ny the end of October, compared to 21,145 in pre-coronavirus October 2019.

“These figures show the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on wider NHS services," said Richard Johnson, director in Wales of the Royal College of Surgeons in England.

"With the number of Covid infections rising again, we are seeing planned surgery being cancelled in some parts of Wales once again. This will only add to the enormous backlog of operations.

“It is crucial we establish a clear plan for the recovery of surgery in Wales to avoid people waiting many months in pain and suffering for an operation.

“The NHS in Wales faces an incredibly challenging winter. Health boards need to explore every option to keep surgery going, and start planning now for a longer term strategy to eliminate the backlog."