Vaughan Gething: I must confess that I'm regularly frustrated at the manner in which the discussion around Orkambi has taken place. At the centre of all this, we should remember, are people, families, who want to have the best possible treatment available on our national health service. Every single company that manufactures a medicine available for the NHS understands the process they must go through, and...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, and I think that's quite helpful, because, whilst I am frustrated that there hasn't been a meaningful engagement in the process, if they did, this is exactly what the new treatment fund is for. So, when new treatments become available that are NICE approved—so, they are proven to be effective and safe and cost-effective—there is often a challenge in getting those drugs in an...
Vaughan Gething: I accept completely that Members in every party are acting in good faith in asking questions around this. I completely accept that. There has been engagement between our appraisal process on a number of occasions, which has not resulted in the additional clinical data being provided. The procurement question is interesting. But you get to that point once you have gone through the appraisal...
Vaughan Gething: I am, of course, sorry that Professor McClelland has cause—and, from the statement made by the health board, good cause—to complain about the care that her husband has received. I'm also sorry that she feels the need to change where they live. But I don't accept the system-wide criticism that she makes of the national health service here in Wales. I accept that her view is—. Of course,...
Vaughan Gething: I think the Plaid Cymru spokesman should be careful in the manner in which he sets out his views. It almost sounds as if he's inviting the Government to cut the health budget. I think, actually, what we need to do is we need to deliver on our joint plan for improvement across health and social care. It has taken a significant—[Interruption.] It has taken a significant amount of work to get...
Vaughan Gething: I'm committed to delivering 'A Healthier Wales', which is our joint plan that has a real focus on shifting our investment and activity into local healthcare. I've said before on a regular number of occasions that trying to have an artificial figure on the amount to go into one part of the system is not the right way to go about doing that. We've set out not just a transformation fund, but...
Vaughan Gething: I've given evidence on suicide prevention to the committee that you're a member of and I'm looking forward to the report. You'll understand from the 'Talk to me 2' mid-point review that a range of measures have been looked at. For example, we took measures immediately following the evidence I gave to make sure that information that should be available on a wide basis—which we understood...
Vaughan Gething: I think you raise an interesting point about one in three people being in contact, but it also means that roughly two in three are not. So, there's a challenge about what we do if people are in contact with the health service as well as a broader societal challenge of actually persuading people to talk and to listen as well. On your point about what we are actually doing, there are two broad...
Vaughan Gething: I'm sure I'll have the opportunity during budget scrutiny to go into much more detail on those specific areas that we've got, but I'm happy to clarify the points you raise. Yes, you're correct: there'll be an extra £35 million—that is what I plan to invest in addition to what we already provide in mental health and learning disability services. The ring fence does still exist for mental...
Vaughan Gething: I have enjoyed working with Professor McClelland on a number of matters, in particular when she was the chair of the emergency ambulance services committee. I do value her contribution to the health service here in Wales. But, her view on the nature of a systemic problem is not borne out and not supported by a range of other people. I've referred to the OECD, and I've also referred to the...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, there are a number of managed practices across our system. As an overall percentage, it is still very small. However, I recognise there is a change in the structure of general practice that is taking place. We will see fewer small practices of single or double-handed practitioners in the future, because our ambitions for the delivery of general practice, as set out in 'A Healthier Wales'...
Vaughan Gething: I'll be happy to look into the matter and write to the Member and copy in other Assembly Members as soon as possible.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. Our 'Talk to me 2' suicide and self-harm prevention strategy identifies groups of people who are especially vulnerable and puts forward actions to address the factors that can contribute to suicide and self-harm. The midpoint review of 'Talk to me 2' reported good progress towards many of the actions within the strategy.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. As I've said earlier, we are taking seriously and taking forward our commitments made in response to the 'Mind over matter' report, with the first meeting of the jointly chaired ministerial task and finish group taking place earlier today. That was a constructive and positive meeting, so I'm looking forward to reporting on further progress in due course about what...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. I note the Prime Minister's recent commitments and, as I said before, I welcome that the current Prime Minister and the previous Prime Minister have been prepared to talk openly about the importance of mental health services. The challenge has always been whether they've been able to match their words with resources and action on the ground. Don't take my word for...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. My priority for health services in the South Wales Central area, as with the rest of Wales, is to ensure that people have equity of access to safe, sustainable, high-quality and integrated health and care to meet their needs.
Vaughan Gething: I'm happy to give the Member the assurance that a similar approach is taken by each health board, together with its partners in the Welsh ambulance service, their common partners, together with local government and the third sector, and, crucially, now drawing in colleagues in housing as well to understand how there is a proper plan ahead of winter. The challenge and the test always is how...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. I recognise this is a subject that you raised with me very early on after your election, together with the leader of the council, about the need to improve the facilities, and actually that is one of the first benefits to be seen. There will be fit-for-purpose, up-to-date modern facilities to replace what currently exists, and we sometimes understate the importance...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. Wales has seen a sustained decrease in new HIV cases. Since I announced the three-year PrEP study, which began in July 2017, 559 people have started on PrEP, and no-one in this cohort has contracted HIV.
Vaughan Gething: You make a completely fair point that once a branded, new medicine is available, there will come a period of time when generic ones are available, and it's work we've actually done across the whole service on making sure that generic products are used in preference wherever possible, because it doesn't remove the value, it improves the value, and it doesn't in any way diminish the efficacy of...
