Vaughan Gething: The health board is continuing to develop primary care services, and works closely with its local authority partners on integrated approaches to public services. Innovative examples include working with local authorities and the third sector to identify older people at risk and developing a Stay Well plan with the person; the introduction of specialist diabetic nurses in primary care; and the...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the points and the questions. I think it’s worth reminding ourselves that the current two sites in Nevill Hall and at the Gwent are not exactly immediately close to rail network links. In designing and delivering the future healthcare system, of course, public transport access is important, so I would expect there to be public transport access to this site as it’s being...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the series of questions. I recognise your point about the length of time and the fact there has been lobbying, and, again, recognise that the Member for Torfaen has brought a delegation of Members to see me in the short time I’ve been the Cabinet Secretary on more than one occasion, and I’ve always found her assertive and charming, you’ll be delighted to know. This has...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for your comments. As I said, assertive and charming—probably more assertive than charming, sometimes. But, no, seriously, it’s been important to see local Members standing up for their communities over a long and a difficult period and I do recognise that. So, the decision has real impact, you’re absolutely right, and, as I tried to make clear yesterday and today, across the...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments. I can confirm that it isn’t my birthday—not yet, and I do have to wait some significant period of time for that to happen again. In terms of where we are, Members make a series of points about the time and where we are now, but, on the opportunity that this decision represents, the health board has always said that they want a decision made that would unlock...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments. Going back to the point about transport again, it’s a significant issue to get right for both private hire and private transport, as well as public service transport, to the site, thinking about the needs of patients and their abilities and also access for emergency services. I expect that local Members who were engaged directly in their conversations with the...
Vaughan Gething: Formally, Chair.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’d like to start by thanking Members for tabling this debate and for helping to raise awareness and draw attention to lung cancer awareness month. I, of course, recognise the impact that lung cancer has on individuals and their families. As has been recognised today, lung cancer kills more people than bowel cancer and breast cancer combined. It has the...
Vaughan Gething: In fact, dealing with the challenges of diagnosing in its earlier and treatable stages, part of the challenge is that it’s difficult to recognise. Part of the big challenge in improving survival rates is actually getting earlier diagnosis and recognition. It’s why we’ve been running with the third sector campaigns to raise awareness on this and, in particular, with partners in primary...
Vaughan Gething: Indeed. We recognise that more people are being treated and more people are being diagnosed with cancer, and that’s the reality. It’s something about the population we have, and it’s also about the greater recognition of the fact that people are being diagnosed later in life than they otherwise would have been. We recognise that we’re not the only post-industrial country with an...
Vaughan Gething: Audiology waiting times in Hywel Dda university health board are not where they should be. I have written to the Chair and made clear the need for improvement. I expect the health board to work with relevant stakeholders to make that improvement happen.
Vaughan Gething: I thank the Member for his follow-up questions, which I recognise. We think that, unfortunately, about 350 people in Hywel Dda wait too long, past the target time. So, we are aware that there is a definite problem within the Hywel Dda health board area. In terms of what’s caused that, there’s a combination of issues, as is almost always the case. Some of this is about short-term staffing...
Vaughan Gething: As I’ve explained in the first series of answers, it’s actually about the fact that Hywel Dda aren’t where they need to be. Some of it is about short-term measures and some of it is about the longer-term planning and the engagement with stakeholders to make sure that they do have a local plan. They should also benefit from some of the national pilot work being undertaken in other health...
Vaughan Gething: We discussed aspects of the paediatric service in last week’s urgent question. I reiterate again that I expect service provision to be delivered on the basis of the very best available clinical evidence. And, of course, the Member is familiar with the content of the 2015 review, led by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Vaughan Gething: Well, there’s an interesting conflation of two separate issues there. In terms of the paediatric service, we know that, in other parts of the UK, the paediatric service is provided by nurses, leading the paediatric service. In fact, the 2015 royal college review indicated that it may be more sensible to move to a nurse-led service around Withybush in any event. That review also told us very...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question, Joyce Watson. I recognise that there is real concern about the future of health in almost every part of the country. Given the commentary about healthcare services in west Wales and the extremity of the language, it is no wonder that people are concerned. I repeat again: the challenge of having a paediatric service is part of what we are being guided by, and its...
Vaughan Gething: It’s part of the challenge that we have about ensuring that we have a consistent grade—[Interruption.] You’re getting an honest answer. [Continues.]—that we have a consistent grade of a medical workforce, and those other professionals who support them, to make sure that we do deliver high-quality care. That does mean that we need to move to a model that will allow us to recruit...
Vaughan Gething: I thank the Member for her question. She’s right to point out the significant progress that has been made on reducing these levels of infection rates, but there is much more that needs to be done. Every health board has an improvement target each year. Not every health board has managed to achieve that. It’s a regular feature of accountability meetings with both chief executives and me in...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. Again, you make the point that the great majority of settings in both the care sector and the hospital sector do comply with high hygiene standards. I am particularly disappointed and frustrated by the recent outcome at Bronllys. They have been made very aware that both I and the Minister expect there to be significant and rapid improvement and a reassessment to...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the third question. There are a range of challenges here. It’s actually an area where the four UK components of the national health service family actually have a joint approach—a recognition of common challenges in antimicrobial resistance, but also in prescribing behaviour as well as a need for further research. So, you will see Wales play its part within the research...
