The same release put the total number of open referral to treatment pathways in July 2026 at just under 709,700, above the 705,000 line (gov.wales, 17 Sep 2026).
Resolves on the same 17 September edition. YES if the total number of open referral to treatment patient pathways for July 2026 is greater than 705,000. The pathway count is used, not the count of individual patients. If that source has not published in time, StatsWales and BBC News Wales settle it.
We looked at every time since 2022 when the Welsh Government, or the UK government for England, put a named sum or plan into the longest waits. We compared the number waiting more than two years in the last full month before the announcement with the first full month after it. Six rounds qualify, and all six are shown. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish these figures only every three months, so they are left out.