, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Health and Social Care System Resilience
Now, £3 million has been allocated to health boards through our six goals programme, and we expect them to use this funding to enable these actions. But I am keen to ensure that people are aware of how challenging this winter is likely to be. We are…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Health and Social Care System Resilience
I'm very pleased to see the health, social care and the third sector jointly planning, and this is happening regularly through regional partnership boards. Partners are now using the summer months to plan well ahead for the seasonal pressures that we know…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Health and Social Care System Resilience
Dirprwy Lywydd, thanks for the opportunity to update Members on health and social care system resilience plans to cope with the pressures that we're expecting to face this winter. Now, we've learnt the hard way that starting to plan for winter in September is…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Health and Social Care System Resilience
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, for the opportunity to update Members on the system during the winter months.
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thank you.
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
We've got the new treatment fund that exists and it's a significant amount of money. So, I'd be very surprised if that were the case.
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
In July 2022 the cancer research strategy for Wales was published, with the aim of developing a well-resourced collaborative, which really focused on the community that's going to support developments in relation to that. So, the Wales cancer research centre…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
We've got the new treatment fund, haven't we?
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
I think we need to take it very seriously, particularly if that's what helps us to get to the hard-to-reach areas, and I think there's some evidence to suggest that people are more comfortable using that approach. We are financially challenged at the moment…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
Look, I think we should be ambitious, and if the WHO is recommending that target, we've got to take it seriously. We know that it's really difficult to get to some sectors of the population. We've learnt a hell of a lot through the vaccination programme on…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, I think we're already on quite a good journey in relation to that. I think the figure was about 70 per cent uptake already, so that's not bad. Of course, we were the first part of the UK to introduce the HPV screening, so all of that means that the…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
Eight rapid diagnostic centres—three in north Wales, you'll be pleased to hear, Jack. So, I think that's positive. You know about the financial constraints we're under at the moment, in particular in relation to capital. So, I think it will be difficult for…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
We've gone ahead of the rest of the UK on these rapid diagnostic centres. I think a delegation went over to Denmark to see how is it that they catch things earlier, and this was one of the lessons that we brought back and we've taken up and we've implemented…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
So, we could crunch the numbers on that quite easily, couldn't we, I guess, Nick.
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
So, effectively, our ambition is set out within the targets that we have—so, 62 days from suspicion. And that's all they've done in England is to say, 'Right, with this new cancer pathway, these are our targets.' We already have those targets.
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
Yes, sorry, we're being a little bit distracted here. But, listen, that single cancer pathway was developed with clinicians and with patients, and I think it's certainly something that's appreciated by the third sector organisations who are involved in this.
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
We developed this—
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
No, no, no. They've come down significantly, but I think it's absolutely right to concentrate on those people. So, what we've got—. We've got the single cancer pathway. It was interesting to see in England over the summer that they've reassessed how they do…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
No, because, actually, they've come down. They've come down significantly.
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
So, I've been clear with the NHS that, actually, in a sense, when it comes to cancer, right, the 62-day limit—. I'm more worried about the people who've breached the 62-day limit, right, and I want those people treated, because they're waiting a long time…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
And if you think about the NICE referrals, which changed in 2015, then, GPs kind of went, 'Well, we need to refer more people in here in order to pick up the numbers early enough in order to make a difference.' So, those numbers have doubled since 2015. We've…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
So, if you think about symptoms, and where they're generally picked up—so, mostly, they're picked up in GP surgeries—you think about—. They generally pick up about eight a year, but in order to find those eight, they have to refer literally over 100. So, it's…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
I think we've touched upon the complexities already of—
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
They are expected to. Of course, if I see that things aren't being done properly, I could intervene, as I have done with dentistry, but I don't want to do that too often, because there is only so much funding available, of course, although the budget is quite…
, Health and Social Care Committee
Gynaecological cancers: evidence session with the Minister for Health and Social Services
The health boards—. They are accountable for ensuring that population health needs are dealt with.
