, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 1
Diolch. And thanks, especially, to Lynne, who's got COVID.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 1
We spend about £0.25 billion a year training the next generation of NHS workers, and that includes speech and language therapists. We've increased that by about 11 per cent in the past year.FootnoteLink It does take time for those to come through, and we've…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 1
It's part of what's been committed to over a long period as a result of the Act that went through several years ago, so we're now at a point where we're going out to consultation. What that will mean is that, every time a policy is developed, not just here in…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 1
Well, obviously, this is an area that health boards need to take very seriously and it's up to them to determine what the incidences are in their area and they need to tailor it to whatever the needs are in that particular area; this is why we allocate the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 1
I'm happy to take this. I just want to make it clear that the Government is committed to fulfilling our legislative requirements for impact assessments, but the way we do this is through the strategic integrated impact assessments. So, just ensuring that what…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 1
I think that might have been an issue had we not managed to put this additional funding in place. So, we're confident that, with this additional funding, we will be able to continue with services within the NHS. We may need to do some reconfiguration, we may…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 1
Well, if you just think about it in the round, about inflationary pressures on things like the cost of energy in hospital, you can't have children's hospitals that are cold. We have to find the money to cover that. If you look at medicines, we know there's…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 1
Thanks very much. It's been the most challenging budget, I think, in the history of the Senedd—since the Senedd was established, since the Welsh Assembly was established. It's been really, really difficult not just to balance the budget in-year this financial…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, thanks very much. And if those GPs that you visited actually read our 'A Healthier Wales' document, they would recognise that that is absolutely our strategic plan. We are doing some of this; we are doing quite a lot of it, actually. The fact that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Clearly, there is a real funding challenge at the moment, and you'll be aware of how serious that is. So, it's going to be extremely difficult for us to find any additional funding for GPs, as it will be for anything in relation to health…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
The current level of demand on GP services is very high, as you would expect at this time of year, with GPs and their staff working extremely hard to provide care and advice to patients.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. I think that is quite interesting, isn't it, just to see the switch from pre pandemic to post pandemic. And, of course, part of that was probably because people were working from home during that time. What I don't want to give is a message…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. I was really stunned when I saw that figure of 1 per cent, and very, very concerned. I've looked into it, and my understanding is that that was from an infant feeding survey that was produced in 2010. So, the good news is that Stats Wales…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
The aim of the all-Wales breastfeeding action plan is that more babies in Wales will be breastfed, and for longer, with a reduction in inequalities. The plan identifies strategic goals, setting out local and national actions to ensure that breastfeeding is a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Well, as I say, we are investing significantly in training the next generation of NHS workers, and that includes speech and language therapists, and training places have indeed increased by 11 per cent from 2018. So, we are increasing those…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
We invest £281 million each year in health professional education. Our bursary supports students through education. We are committed to post-registration development and career pathways, with clinical supervision, professional development and preceptorship…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Well, Morriston was one of the hospitals that I visited on my visit on 2 January, and there was no question about it, it was under intense pressure, and it was really good to have the opportunity to speak to the consultants on the front line…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thank you very much. Norovirus, COVID and flu rates are starting to increase. They're increasing across Wales and, certainly, in terms of what we saw in Swansea, I think that that was the proper thing to do. If you see a problem approaching you, the thing to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
The health boards are responsible for delivery of health services for their local population. Welsh Government holds them accountable for the services that they deliver and works with them to ensure that patients are able to access high-quality services.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Well, I was very privileged to spend the day with our valiant ambulance workers before Christmas, and it was really useful just to see the kind of pressure they're under and the frustrations that they suffer standing outside hospitals for…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. The number of medically fit in our hospitals still remains way too high, but we have a very systematic approach to that now. We've got a very detailed mechanism to assess exactly why they're in hospital. It's now a system that is understood…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
It's been a challenging winter to date for NHS Wales and partners caused partially by spikes in demand, acuity and complexity of patient need, and patient flow issues. Local authorities and health boards have integrated plans and actions in place, enabling…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. I'm glad that the Member understands that, actually, we need multiple routes into nursing, and it was really heartening to see, at the end of last week, with my colleague, the way that apprenticeships start people on their career. They start…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Obviously, we have very frequent conversations with the Royal College of Nursing. We absolutely need the incredible work that they do in our hospitals, and I'd like to thank all nurses and all healthcare workers for the incredible work that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, thanks very much. Well, what I would say is that they should ensure that they do get their name down on a list, because, obviously, this is part of a process, and, every year, we are encouraging those NHS dentists to take on new patients. And obviously…
