Almost one in ten NHS patients in West Wales is forced to wait more than nine months to begin treatment, shocking new figures have revealed.

Despite a Welsh Government target that no one in Wales should wait more than 36 weeks, statistics show that 9.91 per cent of patients in the Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB) area are not beginning their treatment.

According to research carried out by Plaid Cymru, the number of people in the HDUHB area waiting more than nine months for treatment has risen from 349 in 2011 to 6,452 today.

More than one in five patients – 20.35 per cent - has to wait more than 26 week to being treatment in the HDUHB region – a three-fold rise in waiting times over the past four years.

The 26-week waiting time Welsh average has almost doubled during the same period to 15.2 per cent. The Welsh Government target is no more than five per cent.

Labelling the figures “colossal and frankly unacceptable”, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas said: “Residents across Hywel Dda will be bitterly disappointed with these waiting times.

“A budget cut from Westminster is no excuse when we consider that the government of Scotland, which is enduring similar cuts to its national budget as Wales is receiving, has far better performance levels than the government is providing here.

“The Welsh Labour government will tell us that 80 per cent of patients in Hywel Dda are being seen within its 26 week timescale, but this is down from 94 per cent in 2011.

“The truth is that a fifth of patients in Hywel Dda are now waiting longer than six months for treatment with more than 6,000 patients waiting nine months.

“The NHS is a core service that any Welsh Government must deliver but this Labour government has failed local patients.”

Elin Jones AM, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Health Minister, added: “No one should have to wait six or even nine months – often in pain – for treatment. Delays in treatment wreck people’s quality of life.

“These figures highlight that overall performance in the NHS is getting worse despite increases in the health budget. And the facts are that patients in Wales are waiting longer for treatment than in Scotland and England. The Welsh Government needs to up its game.”

Peter Skitt, HDUHB Interim Director of Operations said: "Meeting performance targets is a priority for Hywel Dda UHB in order to ensure the best and most timely service for our patients according to clinical need.

"Whilst we recognise there is more to be done, particularly with the demand on Orthopaedics, we are currently prioritising the treatment and operations of our patients according to clinical need and ensuring some additional capacity for those who have been waiting the longest."