, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: The health service
Thank you. The frustration is that, actually, I could go on for a really long time, because—[Interruption.] I'm more than happy to; blame the Llywydd. [Laughter.] I do think that people need to hear the good news—that, actually, there's been a massive amount…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: The health service
I'm afraid, Altaf, your statistics are just wrong. In 2022, there were 1,808 GPs; in 2021, there were 2,038 and it's gone up last year by 1.6 per cent again. In Wales, we have 63 GPs per 100,000, compared to 57 per 100,000 in England.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: The health service
I think this is quite an achievement in the current climate, but despite all of this, I'm highly aware that some people are being let down by the service. I am concerned about those people who have to wait in an ambulance or a corridor, or can't get a bed…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: The health service
But I don't accept there is a health emergency and I'm not really sure what we hope to achieve by declaring a health emergency, especially if we are not prepared to put the money in when it comes to political priorities. Yesterday, we had a very expansive…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: The health service
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I welcome the opportunity to respond to today's debate and to share with you how the NHS, despite continued pressures, delivers for the people of Wales. Firstly, I want to acknowledge the excellent work of all staff in the NHS whose…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: The health service
Formally.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thank you very much. I want to make it clear that we are a party that believes greatly in equity, and particularly when it comes to lesbians and the possibility of them having children as well. There are access criteria for the number of NHS IVF cycles that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
NHS IVF services are already freely available across Wales. They are commissioned by the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee on behalf of all health boards. Patients across Wales who meet the access criteria are entitled to two NHS cycles of IVF…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much, Mike. I think we've got to get to a place in relation to the health service where we stop talking about money going in. What I'm interested in is what do we produce as a result of the money going in; it's got to be about what are the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
The four primary care services of general medical services, community pharmacy, dentistry and optometry are the most familiar and frequently used health services. We continue to work with health boards and professional bodies on the reform of the national…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thank you very much. The first thing is that we have to ensure that people feel comfortable in their surgeries, and that is part of the reason why we're so pleased that we have come to an agreement with the general medical services. There's £20 million on the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Ensuring a sustainable future for general practice in local communities across Wales is a priority for this Government. We have taken steps to improve access to services and to incentivise GP recruitment, and we will continue to work with health boards and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
I think that people can prepare. I think health boards can prepare, but I don't think that it's fair to ask them to prepare for four people going off on maternity leave at the same time. I think there is a limit to how much preparation they can do. And that's…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, you'll be pleased to hear we already have it, Jane. We already have a system. It's a targeted incentive system, which provides £20,000 to GP trainees who take up training posts in particular parts of Wales where we are challenged, and that includes…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much, Hefin. I had a meeting just this morning with the chief executive of Aneurin Bevan, who was positively buzzing about the fact that, actually, every single GP in her health board will be an independent contractor in future. Obviously, that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. I'm very pleased to say that, actually, today, we have announced that we have actually come to a conclusion with the general medical services in terms of conclusion with them. They have been offered 5 per cent as well, but that, obviously…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Diolch yn fawr. Well, we certainly recognise the strength of feeling amongst junior doctors, and, whilst we certainly are very keen to address their pay restoration ambitions, I'm afraid that the 5 per cent that has been put into their pay packages is at the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Retaining staff is equally as important as recruiting new staff. Our national workforce implementation plan sets out a number of actions to improve retention. The number of doctors, including consultants, directly employed by NHS Wales organisations has…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, I won't agree to that unless it's appropriate to do so. And, obviously, we take our lead from Public Health Wales, who scrutinise the evidence. They've looked at what the World Health Organization has recommended, and the World Health Organization, as…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, I do think it's unnecessary, for the reasons that have been said over and over again in this Chamber. What we have seen in the inquiry is plenty of evidence to suggest that, actually, in the link between the decision making in London and the decision…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, I think it is important that local populations, once again, become involved in this consultation. There has been an incredible response to the consultation so far. We know how much this service is loved by the populations, in particular, of mid and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Well, you're right, it's not about saving money, but it is about maximising efficiency, and I think that is something that is a responsibility of Government to do. So, you'll know that there were some principles that were set out: if people…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Well, the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, of course, is an independent charity—it's independent of Government. But you're quite right to point out that there is obviously a relationship with the Welsh Government, in the sense that there's a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Diolch yn fawr. I have been looking into the issues in relation to the digital eye care programme, because it’s also been brought to my attention. What happened was that there was an initial funding allocation that was granted, and Cardiff and Vale University…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thank you very much. The Member is correct, in January a new voluntary scheme, the voluntary pricing, access and growth scheme, came into effect. What this does is to set an annual cap on the value of total sales of branded medicines across the NHS, and what…
