Western Mail – NHS waiting lists hit record high 

The Western Mail leads on newly released NHS figures showing more people are waiting for healthcare treatment in Wales than ever before. NHS data released by the Welsh Government showed rises in the number of people on waiting lists, longer waits in A&E, fewer cancer patients starting treatment within the two-month target and ambulances taking longer to get to the most urgent calls.

The figures released on Thursday show winter pressures and strike disruption have been extremely disruptive for the NHS. There were around 591,600 individual patients on waiting lists for treatment in Wales in February, which is the highest number ever recorded.

Elsewhere, the front page features a large image of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a brewery in Wales on Thursday noting his appearance was part of his whistlestop campaigning tour. The paper reports the prime minister made a mess of his appearance in Wales by asking those at the brewery about the upcoming Euros – in which Wales failed to qualify.  

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