Patients are set to benefit from faster care under new NHS Wales reforms.
The Welsh Government has announced a clinically led approach to reduce waiting times and transform planned care services, aiming to return the overall waiting list to pre-pandemic levels.
Mabon ap Gwynfor, Health and Care Minister, said: "Waiting two years for planned care is not acceptable.
"This investment is tied to Health Boards changing how they work, permanently, so the progress I expect to see doesn't slip back as it has in the past.
"That's the difference between a short-term fix and lasting change."
He visited Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny this week to meet staff and tour the theatres, regional cataract hub, and endoscopy facilities.
The new approach involves Health Boards working together to target the longest waits and improve productivity, with increased surgical capacity, including weekend operations.
Referrals will be reviewed earlier to ensure patients receive the right advice, tests, or treatment from the outset.
The aim is to avoid unnecessary delays and direct patients to the most appropriate care pathway.
The approach will also shift routine follow-ups to a patient-initiated system.
This means patients will contact services when they need support, freeing up tens of thousands of appointments for first-time consultations and other clinical activity.
Mr ap Gwynfor said the changes are not possible without the "hard work and expertise of NHS staff."
He said: "Their leadership sits at the heart of this approach, and every Health Board must now work together to deliver further improvements for patients."
NHS Wales national clinical directors of planned care and consultant surgeons, Richard Egan and Ken Harries, welcomed the announcement.
They said: "It’s particularly pleasing to see the clear focus on modernisation and sustainability.
"This approach can see the service transformation required to deliver high quality, prudent, and efficient care for the people of Wales."
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