Welsh Tories say retired doctors and nurses would form NHS reserve service

The Welsh Conservatives propose an NHS Wales Reserves Service to call retired, newly qualified and private clinicians into health boards during peak demand, the party said; the manifesto also pledges reopened wards, increased health spending and waiting-time targets.

The Welsh Conservatives have pledged to create an NHS Wales Reserves Service that would call retired doctors and nurses back into work during periods of peak demand. Senedd group leader Darren Millar said the reserves would also include newly qualified clinicians and staff who work in the private sector. The party says it would declare a "health emergency" if elected and immediately reopen closed community hospital wards while boosting health and social care spending. Some retired nurses voiced concerns about maintaining clinical skills after time away, and the British Medical Association in Wales said it supports the idea but raised pension tax issues. Key points: - The Welsh Conservative manifesto proposes an NHS Wales Reserves Service as a bank of staff callable during periods of crisis. - The party says reserves would include retired staff, recently qualified clinicians and private-sector workers to be deployed "at times of peak need." - The manifesto also pledges to reopen closed community hospital wards, increase annual health and social care spending, and clear the waiting-times backlog by May 2030. - Most recent waiting-time figures were reported at just under 757,900 people waiting for treatment, after the largest recorded fall. - Some retired nurses expressed concern about keeping skills current and potential effects on patient safety; BMA Wales supports using retired doctors but said pension tax barriers need addressing. Summary: If enacted, the reserves plan would aim to provide additional short-term staffing capacity during surges and forms part of wider manifesto commitments on hospitals and waiting times. The British Medical Association in Wales voiced conditional support, pointing to pension tax issues, while some former nurses warned about maintaining clinical skills. The next public milestone for these proposals is the Senedd election in May, where the party seeks a mandate to implement them.