The NHS in Wales is now performing at least three times as poorly as it was in 2012 on three measures, FactCheck analysis can reveal.

The number of people waiting more than 4 hours in A&E is three times higher than it was a decade ago, while waits of over 8 hours have risen nearly six-fold.

Most strikingly, the proportion of people who are still waiting for elective care after more than 36 weeks was nearly 39 times higher in 2022 than it was ten years earlier.

We reached our findings by averaging NHS Wales monthly data by calendar year and comparing it to 2012 using an index. The 2022 figures are based on data for January to November, the latest available stats.

A Welsh Government spokesperson told FactCheck: “The pandemic has had a massive impact on emergency and planned care services across all UK nations. While demand in both areas has increased since 2012 partially reflecting an older ageing population, the pandemic caused almost complete interruption of routine health care. As a result hospitals are treating more patients with complex care needs than before the pandemic.

“We have committed more than £1bn extra this Senedd term to help the NHS recover from the pandemic and cut waiting times. We are working with health boards and have set ambitious targets to tackle the pandemic backlog for planned care, backed by significant extra long-term funding. In addition a dedicated recovery director and team will support each health board to develop and implement their local proposals in line with the national strategy.”

The spokesperson also noted that the very longest waits have come down from their peak.