Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you. You'll be aware that there have been problems in Hwb Iechyd Cybi which, of course, is being led by Betsi Cadwaladr health board and the NHS directly. I'm pleased to say that three GPs have now been appointed—one who has already started, and another starting in October, and another starting in January. So, I do hope that that will improve the situation, as well as three urgent...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: GPs are facing great pressures in dealing with the pandemic, and dealing at the same time with high demand because of illnesses not associated with COVID. Access to GPs in Holyhead has been challenging over recent months, but the Betsi Cadwaladr health board is focusing strongly on improving the situation.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Jane, and thank you for the championing of the cause on dentistry that you're undertaking at the moment. I'm all for innovation, particularly at the time that we're in at the moment. I'm really pleased to see the innovation that's happening in Machynlleth. I guess the issue with mobile suites is not the facilities themselves, but who we get to do the work inside them. So,...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you, Jane. We continue to re-establish NHS dental services in a safe, phased way. Practices are prioritising care according to need and are treating urgent cases and people who are experiencing problems first. Measures are in place for NHS dental practices to see new patients each week.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I think we've got to be clear with people that accident and emergency and calling an ambulance have to be an emergency, and too many people are calling ambulances when they're not an emergency. Now, that's not to say that there are lots of people being missed at the moment when it is an emergency, and the reason for that, as I've explained, is because there's a huge increase in demand. Part...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much. Well, I think we've got to be straight with the public: we are not going back to the way we were pre-pandemic. We have introduced new digital services and, frankly, a lot of the public like them. A lot of people like e-prescribing, and certainly that is the response that we are getting in the many surveys that we're carrying out. Of course, there will always be a time when...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks. The Welsh Government continues to support the Welsh ambulance service to deliver responsive emergency services. I have asked the chief ambulance services commissioner to work with health boards, the Welsh ambulance service and partners to develop more robust whole-system escalation plans and to enable greater operational grip over the winter period.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Altaf, for that question. Obviously, I'm always very aware, when I respond to you, that I'm speaking to an expert, so I always have to be, probably, more careful with you than anybody else in this Chamber. [Laughter.] I think it's absolutely right that we have to keep an eye on the numbers of nurses. And, of course, we do in Wales have legislation around that, and that is a...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Jenny. I'm really sorry to hear about the situation that your constituent found themselves in. I think that is obviously wholly unacceptable and very difficult, and certainly nobody should be waiting 27 hours after a stroke. But, obviously, it's difficult for me to go into detail about individual matters. As you say, the pressures on our emergency services continue to remain...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Emergency stroke services in Cardiff are the responsibility of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. Patients attending the University Hospital of Wales emergency department are prioritised for assessment and imaging to diagnose stroke, and are placed on the fully integrated stroke pathway.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you. I can confirm that it won't take five years. We are going to move more quickly than that. I can't give—. I don't think we can introduce it now, because it is a complex issue. The technology is very complex, the skills that are needed are very complex. You need people who really understand this technology, and everybody wants the same people at the moment. That's why HEIW is...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much. I can confirm that this is one of the 10 priorities that I have listed for my team, in order to ensure that they understand the importance that I attach to this issue. I do agree that we are a long way behind on this. It was a shock to me to see how far behind we are in terms of e-prescribing. I do think that this is very technical work and it is work where you need to...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much, Rhun. I do agree that it is a shame that we haven't gone further than this previously, but we do have a programme in place now. Forty million pounds has been earmarked for that. It's not as though no work has gone on; work has already happened. If you look at Swansea, for example, a lot of work is being done in the hospital there. I'm asking them all the time, 'Why can't...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Joyce, and I would agree with you; I think it is important for us to understand what we're trying to do in these places. We are trying to increase the investment, understanding that primary care is a key aspect of how we're delivering health services, making sure that we get all the services, where possible, under one roof. And I'm very pleased to see that the investment...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much, Cefin. As I said, the service is under immense pressure at the moment. The increase in the number of people calling for ambulance services—well, we've never seen anything like this before. The fact is that about 20 per cent of those calls relate to COVID, so it is a period of immense pressure. The rostering—that's the change that's being made at the moment; rethinking...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Paul. I'm sure you'll be interested to hear that I'm very aware of your concerns, and therefore I have organised for the representative from the Welsh ambulance service to give a briefing to Members from Mid and West Wales on Friday this week. So, I do hope you'll be present and available to be able to hear directly about the plans in relation to ambulance services in the...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much, Paul. Health services, like every health board in the health service at the moment, are under great pressure dealing with record numbers of COVID cases in the community, seeing an ageing population, a fragile care sector, the threat of winter flu and the need to deliver the booster vaccine and vaccines to 12 to 15-year-olds. On top of this, they are continuing to provide...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: This is a UK-wide issue, on which NHS Wales is working with the other UK nations to resolve as soon as possible. Supplies are gradually becoming available, and the NHS will continue to manage supplies to ensure those with urgent clinical need for a blood test can get one.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, I think the key thing to emphasise is that it's not just about the ambulance service, though. It's also about trying to make sure we address the issue of getting people out of the back door of hospitals once they have been seen. That's why we are hosting a weekly meeting now with the WLGA, with health boards, to address this issue of how we can give more support to get people out of...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I think it is important for us to understand that the Welsh ambulance service trust has reported a significant increase in calls of between about 20 to 30 per cent compared to this time last year, and I think it's worth noting that 18 per cent of 999 ambulance calls are COVID-related. So, it's not just about the pressures in the system—COVID is still a major issue here. And it's also worth...
