Written question WQ100427
- Asked by
- Paul DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 12 days
Question
What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure there are enough anaesthetists in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care (Mabon ap Gwynfor)
Responsibility for workforce planning, recruitment and deployment rests with Hywel Dda University Health Board, which is responsible for ensuring it has the workforce required to meet local service needs.
Through Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), the Welsh Government supports workforce supply through investment in education and training. Since 2020, HEIW has increased the number of anaesthetic training posts in Wales, including additional posts within the Acute Care Common Stem Emergency Medicine training pathway. HEIW continues to explore opportunities to expand anaesthetic training capacity further.
These actions are helping to increase the supply of anaesthetists available to health boards across Wales, including Hywel Dda University Health Board. The work to develop a new workforce strategy for the NHS, a key priority of this new Welsh Government, will also support the sustainability and resilience of the workforce over the long-term.