North Wales health officials condemn 24-hour A&E waits

Officials from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have expressed concern regarding emergency department conditions in North Wales, noting that 24-hour waits in A&E are “becoming the norm.”

During a meeting with Anglesey councillors, Paul Andrew, the board’s Integrated Health Community Director of Operations (West), described seeing ambulances waiting outside hospitals with “disgust” and expressed sadness over the normalization of long wait times.

Health board chairman Dyfed Edwards stated that emergency rooms have effectively become a “drop-in for everyone,” suggesting that the strain on services will continue until the public is more aware of alternative medical options. Local councillors raised concerns about patients being held in ambulances overnight and the impact of non-emergency cases on the service.