, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Building Capacity through Community Care—Further Faster
Thank you very much. Well, I was determined not to go through a winter like the one that we did last year, and that is difficult, to make a decision when it comes to funding, that you're going to do the same thing, but with less money, and you think you'll…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Building Capacity through Community Care—Further Faster
Diolch yn fawr, Gareth. Thank you very much. I'm really pleased to hear that there is support from the Conservative benches on this, because this is a shift, so people need to understand that we are rebalancing, which does suggest a shift away from hospital…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Building Capacity through Community Care—Further Faster
On top of this, now that the clusters have accelerated their development as mechanisms for local services to collaborate, they are well placed to identify the people in their communities who most need care and to agree a care plan tailored to their individual…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Building Capacity through Community Care—Further Faster
Diolch yn fawr. Today, along with my colleague Julie Morgan, we are announcing that we will be directing up to £30 million of additional resource into supporting enhanced care in our communities. This is to avert a situation that we saw last winter with too…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: NHS Dentistry
No, it was really bad. My mother's going to be very upset with me. I apologise.
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: NHS Dentistry
So, unfortunately we can't accept the original motion. I spent the weekend rereading the committee's report, and I think there are many valid points within it, and I do think it's important that we follow up on those. So, unfortunately, I can't accept the…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: NHS Dentistry
We want to reach a position where everyone in Wales who needs dental care can access dental care. We estimate that around 20 per cent of the public were using private dentistry pre pandemic. We understand that some feel that they have been pushed into the…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: NHS Dentistry
Now, contract terminations and variations are inevitable and they’ve always taken place, and people retire; they leave for other reasons. And it’s true that we’ve seen perhaps more than we’d like to recently, but it’s still a relatively small number—only 5…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: NHS Dentistry
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. It was only 10 weeks ago that I gave an oral statement providing Members with an update on NHS dentistry, but I recognise that this remains an important issue for people across Wales. I certainly get as many e-mails on this as any…
, Plenary
Welsh Conservatives Debate: NHS Dentistry
Formally.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. I think it's important that it's clinicians that lead on some of these things. So, it's got to be them that decide, 'Right, this is the most appropriate response in this particular area when a particular circumstance comes up.' So, as a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Our vision for stroke services and improving outcomes has been set out in the stroke quality statement. The unique circumstances of mid Wales are reflected in plans being taken forward by the national stroke programme, led by the clinical lead for stroke and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
I don't mind scrutiny, but there is a direct result to that, and that is that it's getting more difficult, potentially, to recruit. And that is something—[Interruption.]—and it's absolutely right, but there is a direct consequence, and I just think that it's…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, I was really pleased to visit Tywyn health centre on 12 May, because I knew that there were really serious issues there in relation to the closure of that facility temporarily. And you'll be aware that the reason for that closure was because of staffing…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
I expect the health board to work with partners to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to meet the needs of the communities it serves. This includes ensuring the clinical model, configuration of services, and facilities are fit for purpose and provide…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Well, I'm pleased to say that nursing training places have increased by 54 per cent over the last few years. So, they were 1,750 in 2017 and 2,701 in 2023. So, we're seeing an increase, and that's a good thing. The problem is, as you say, there are people who…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
We continue to work in partnership to retain existing nurses across south-west Wales, to recruit locally and attract new internationally trained healthcare professionals to the area. While recruitment and staffing challenges remain, the nursing workforce of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Well, you'll be aware that health boards are independent. They make these judgments on the basis of the clinical needs of their population, and one of the things I hope you noticed last week, and we're pleased to see, is that the statistics…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Well, Jenny, I'm sure you'll understand that I can't comment on an individual case, but we would expect there to be continuity of care for any patient who moves to Wales, of course. But, in general, it would be the patient's GP who would…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
I'm aware from recent reports that some people may be being prescribed powerful medication following online private assessments in England or elsewhere. It does not follow that the NHS in Wales would continue to prescribe such medications, and a person's GP…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
The important thing for me is that we have had a fresh start and that we do turn over a new leaf, but we can't actually do that until we get to a point where all of this dreadful situation that we've seen in the past in Betsi is unearthed, and that we can…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. Well, part of the reason why I acted as I did is because I do believe that the board needed a fresh start, which is why we appointed new independent members to the board. There are 20,000 people who work for the health board, and I've got to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. The police will determine if a criminal investigation is required, and they’ve already said that they’re looking at this and it’s not up to me to tell the police whether a criminal investigation is required; that is something that they will…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks. Well, I can assure you that the report hasn’t just been lying around; there have been extensive investigations by the NHS counter-fraud office to see if there needed to be any police follow-up in terms of criminal action. They concluded that that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thanks very much. My understanding is that the key individuals named in this report have been suspended, and, clearly, they have legal employment rights. The key thing for me is that we've got to follow the right process so that any system that needs to be…
