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Surgeons have warned that patients in Wales are still waiting too long for surgery, as the latest NHS waiting times data – the last to be published before the Senedd election on 7 May – highlights the scale of the challenge awaiting the next Welsh Government.

Patients face a postcode lottery in accessing robotic-assisted surgery on the NHS, new analysis by the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has revealed. Published today at the Future of Surgery Festival (20-21 April), the data – the first publicly-available national picture of how surgical robots are being used across England – shows that, despite national guidance from NHS England, there are major differences in how the technology is funded, distributed and used across NHS trusts in England.

With data due to be published next month revealing whether the NHS has met the interim target of 65% of patients starting treatment within 18 weeks by March 2026, the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has warned that progress on NHS waiting times remains fragile without sustained investment in surgical capacity.