GWENT is set for a share of more than £20 million of Welsh Government cash to help cut waiting times for orthopaedic patients during 2011/12.

The money – in addition to that already earmarked by health boards toward meeting waiting times targets – will be vital in helping drive waits down toward a maximum 26 weeks for the overwhelming majority of patients needing knee or hip replacements, or other surgery.

The 26-week target from GP referral to the beginning of treatment, should be met for at least 95 per cent of patients in all specialties, the five per cent ‘tolerance’ built-in to allow for their being valid clinical reasons why patients cannot be treated within that timescale. But even for the latter group of patients, 36 weeks is deemed an absolute maximum.

Since the 26-week target was initially met, in December 2009, it has been maintained in a majority of specialties, but orthopaedics is a problem across Wales, not least because of a 30 per cent increase since 2005 in referrals in this specialty.

Last spring, the then health minister Edwina Hart announced an extra £65m of funding over three years to tackle orthopaedic demand, and this announcement, of almost £21.5m, represents this year’s share.

Individual health board allocations will be announced shortly.

Orthopaedic waiting times have proved a major headache for Gwent health bosses in the past year, due to demand and other issues, including a suspension of extra surgery sessions last summer while surgical team payments were renegotiated.

That led to increasing numbers of Gwent patients waiting more than 36 weeks and though the problem was not confined to Gwent, Aneurin Bevan Health Board’s orthopaedic services were put into special measures last autumn. By December, more than 900 patients had waited more than 36 weeks, but this backlog was cleared by March 31 as more orthopaedic capacity was created, and special measures have now been lifted.

Longer-term solutions are required however, to prevent a recurrence, and the extra cash is available to develop those.

It is likely to take into 2012/13 before the 26-week target can be met for orthopaedic patients.