Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I'm very pleased that you agree with our position in relation to the booster vaccination. The fact is that we've been ready to roll out the booster vaccination for a long time in Wales. We've been waiting for that JCVI advice for a very long time, which is why we are able, now, to press the button. Those invitations will be going out at the beginning of next week, and hopefully, the first...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Llywydd, if our modelling is correct—and it has been so far—we will be facing a peak in COVID-19 hospital admissions and cases just as the NHS winter period starts. This will put further pressure on our health and care system, a system that, as you know, is already stretched. In some parts of the UK, elective surgery has already been postponed to enable the NHS trusts to cope with...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to thank you for this opportunity to update Members about what continues to be a fast-moving and evolving public health situation. Now, much has changed since the last Senedd, since we last met to discuss coronavirus in Wales before the summer recess. Wales has been at alert level 0 for seven weeks now and, as Members will know, this means that all...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Russell George says it's unlikely to go into detail into Wales in the broader inquiry, but I think that the breadth of that inquiry is something that is still there to be influenced. I know Siân Gwenllian suggested that it'll only be one chapter. Well, how big is that chapter going to be? There can be lots of sub-chapters within that chapter.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: So, if we need to shine that spotlight, we're happy to do that, but we have to look at it in the context of what was happening elsewhere.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: None of these important questions have been settled yet, and they will all need to be carefully considered. They'll need to be consulted upon and agreed before the inquiry can start its work, which, hopefully, will be next year. I've listened very carefully to the points that have been made in this debate, and I will ensure that those points are fed into consideration as discussions continue...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. The Government entirely agrees that it's important that there should be an impartial and appropriate inquiry held into the way in which we have dealt with the pandemic. We do need to gather and sift evidence in a systematic way, listening carefully to the stories of those who saw their lives overturned in such a dramatic and cruel way during this...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Now, we know that this has been a very challenging time, and we recognise the impact that COVID-19 has had on individual members of the dental team and on the profession as a whole. As the risks of COVID-19 reduce, more treatments will be able to be provided. Now, we need dental practices to continue to follow strict infection control measures, including social distancing, to protect practice...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: So, we know that the return of services will continue to be gradual, and we recognise that people across Wales have not had the regular check-ups that they've been used to. However, the service has adapted to prioritise urgent care, and I would like to take the opportunity to thank dental teams and health boards for their commitment and dedication during the last 15 months to maintain access...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to start by thanking the Member for raising this important issue of dental services for people in care homes. As Members will know, the aim of the Gwên am Byth programme, introduced in 2015, which has already been referred to this afternoon, is to improve oral health and oral care for older people living in care homes by developing a consistent approach...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, thanks very much, Sarah, and can I assure you that there is not going to be any big liberation day here in Wales when it comes to COVID, not when rates are increasing at the rate they are? It really defies belief to look at what's happening in England, when you see the rates increasing at the rate they are. Our decisions will be based on science, they'll be based on evidence, and we are...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: The delta variant continues to spread both in Bridgend and elsewhere in Wales, but Bridgend does currently have comparatively low rates of infection compared to a lot of other local authority areas in Wales. Our vaccination programme continues to offer the best means of combating the spread.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much, Vikki, and I know that some GPs have been incredibly innovative in the way that they've responded to the pandemic, and knowing that it's difficult to meet people face to face under some conditions, and therefore they have been really inventive, and it's great to hear that is happening in your constituency. I'm certainly very happy to pass on—if you could pass on that...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Our priority is to build on the impressive digital response to the COVID pandemic, and to lock in new ways of working that enabled us to use digital platforms to support our outstanding contact tracing and vaccine delivery services in Wales.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, thanks very much. Now, since the launch of our ‘Train. Work. Live.’ campaign, north Wales in particular has benefited from a higher number of appointments into GP training. So, last year saw 29 new trainees who were recruited to speciality training schemes in Bangor, in Dyffryn Clwyd and in Wrexham. So, I think that should demonstrate to you that, actually, there is a lot of work...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Jack. I know there have been some issues in particular with surgery at Connah's Quay in recent weeks. I think some of the issues that we saw outlined there, where, actually, a message went out that the practice was actually closed, and advising patients to call an alternative number, that should not have happened. The health board is very aware of that. I think we've got to...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much for that question, Altaf. I don't know enough about this particular partnership to comment on it, but I will make sure that I go and investigate further. I know that some of the people involved in the call that I was on on Saturday are involved in the Princess of Wales Hospital, so I will investigate further and see whether there is anything that we can learn from that. Thank you.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: GP practices across Wales are providing a wide range of options for patients to access services through the use of digital technology. Clinical triage is a key tool to ensure patients receive the care they need, at the right time, from the right person.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Alun. I'm very aware of the fact that there are literally hundreds of thousands of patients, many waiting in severe pain for an operation. I can assure you that apart from COVID and preparing the NHS for winter, addressing this backlog is absolutely my top priority. Now, I think it's fair to say that the vast majority of NHS staff have gone way beyond and above the call of...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: It is the responsibility of health boards to ensure that they provide services to meet the needs of their local populations. It's a requirement for health boards to use the local capacity of the health service in the first instance, and then, any capacity available in the English health service, using capacity in the independent sector only when there is no other option.
