James Evans says the situation confronting patients in Welsh hospitals is a “national disgrace”.

The Brecon and Radnorshire MS and Conservative health spokesman said at the Senedd that “corridor care” should never have been allowed to become the norm.

He said people have seen harrowing reports and shocking testimonies, and know that this is a crisis that can no longer be ignored.

Mr Evans said that despite the best efforts of doctors and nurses, this is a crisis in which patients - mothers, fathers, grandparents - are left waiting in chairs for hours and sometimes days waiting for a bed.

Ambulance crews spend hours parked outside hospitals because there isn’t the space inside, and when they get inside they’re left waiting in corridors.

Doctors and nurses, despite their dedication and tireless efforts, are being pushed beyond breaking point, describing their workplaces as war zones with patients placed everywhere.

Mr Evans said: “This is a national disgrace. This is not the fault of our heroic NHS staff, who do a phenomenal job under extreme circumstances. They are the ones holding this broken system together.

“This is a problem of a failure of political leadership, a failure of planning and a failure to invest in where it matters most.

“We can fix the crisis in corridor care, but it requires real leadership, real investment and a real plan, working with the sector to develop the plans needed for change.

“I say to the people of Wales this - you should not accept corridor care as normal. It’s not right. It’s not normal. It’s not unavoidable. And it doesn’t have to be this way.”

Mr Evans said this is a political choice and it’s about political priorities. He said that after 25 years of Labour control, corridor care is the reality of their record in office.

But he said: “We can make a difference. We can make different choices. It’s time to fix Wales. It’s time to fix the NHS. It’s time to end corridor care. That’s what we’ll be fighting for.

“We won’t tinker around the edges, like this Government has done.

“We will take the big decisions necessary to fix our NHS, because no patient should ever have to be treated in a corridor again. Under a Welsh Conservative Government, that will never happen.”