Vaughan Gething: Thank you, acting Deputy Presiding Officer. May I first begin by thanking the committee for their time in considering this important topic, and what is an interim report? The scrutiny continues; I had the pleasure of more than two hours in the company of the committee today answering questions about the continuing work that we do on how we keep Wales safe, and the response of our health and...
Vaughan Gething: I recognise the comments made by committee members about support for self-isolation. Our test, trace, protect service does contact people who are isolating. It's how they understand how successfully people are or aren't isolating. I've had feedback from my own constituents and others about the difference that call has made to them successfully continuing with self-isolation. But I recognise...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. I'm fortunately drawing to the conclusion of my remarks, and that is that we have learned from the initial six months. We've learned about working closely with local authorities and public health experts on all of the local restriction measures. We've met with local authority leaders regardless of geography and political leadership, and that's a real strength of the position that...
Vaughan Gething: Throughout the pandemic, GPs and their teams have remained accessible through video, telephone and face-to-face appointments. The roll-out of national software to all GP practices in Wales has allowed practices to provide patients with online access to timely care.
Vaughan Gething: Velindre University NHS Trust has submitted outline business cases to the Welsh Government for this scheme. I expect to receive advice from my officials in the coming months in order to make a decision on the scheme early in the new year.
Vaughan Gething: Ten field hospitals, new additional hospital facilities and capacity identified across existing hospital sites will provide up to 5,000 beds to enable health boards to manage potential spikes in emergency admissions caused by COVID-19. Action is also under way to improve management of demand in the community to help prevent unnecessary hospital visits.
Vaughan Gething: We are supporting all areas in preventing community transmission. Local action and restrictions are targeted at areas where rates are increasing. As would be expected, we have seen the highest number of cases in urban areas, where the population is greater, which makes the transmission of the virus easier.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. I formally move the four sets of regulations before us today, and ask Members of the Senedd to support them. These regulations were again introduced under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, through emergency procedures to support our ongoing action to tackle the unfinished coronavirus pandemic. The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions)...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. I'll run through the comments as they've been made in the debate. I note the comments that the Chair of the committee, Mick Antoniw, made. We do provide frequently asked questions and guidance to try to assist people with the requirements of the regulations and how to help people to follow the new rules. And, of course, the requirements are because of the...
Vaughan Gething: On Rhun ap Iorwerth's point about the data underpinning the action that we took, in particular in relation to Cardiff, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan, we had data at that point in time and a very clear case made to us by each local authority and by each relevant health board that, in those areas, they were confident that, because of the data they saw on the...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. Public Health Wales have confirmed that this issue does not affect their capacity for COVID-19 antigen tests, as Roche swabs are not used, nor will it affect other Public Health Wales tests. In relation to wider health-board-delivered testing services, I have asked my officials to urgently review and report back to me.
Vaughan Gething: I discussed this very point with my officials this afternoon, Llywydd, and that's why I'm seeking urgent reassurance from our officials. In terms of the tests that Public Health Wales carry out, including, for example, sexual health testing and cell pathology, they're the things that I'm most concerned about. We do have some stock that is left within Public Health Wales and other health...
Vaughan Gething: There's no suggestion of that at present. But as I said, that's why I'm seeking the assurance, not just from my officials, but from health boards directly, about the position they find themselves in with this unexpected supply chain interruption. And that's what I will cover in the written statement. Obviously, it would not be acceptable if Wales were hit disproportionately, or in a different...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Llywydd. I wanted to take the opportunity today to update Members on the progress in improving maternity services and wider quality governance arrangements at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. I thought it particularly important that I assure everyone that, while we necessarily have to pay so much attention to managing the unfinished COVID pandemic, we have also retained a...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the questions. In terms of the broad picture of maternity services across Wales, the regular assurance that the chief nurse's department undertakes in terms of midwifery services demonstrates that concerns are being dealt with across the service appropriately, and that maternity services are safe. And I hope that's helpful in terms of providing that assurance from the regular...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the variety of questions. I hope that this update is welcomed by women who were previously ignored and did not have their concerns taken seriously. I ordered the independent review by the joint royal colleges on the basis that there was plainly a problem that had not been resolved and could not be satisfactorily resolved if the health board themselves were commissioning a...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, thank you for the question, and I'm very happy to reiterate that we do need to provide support to women and their families. It will be, as I say, a very difficult experience, and it's not one that I can say that I understand, because I haven't lived through that experience, and it's important to understand that it will be different for different people. People who have suffered loss will...
Vaughan Gething: I'll deal with the last point first. So, every woman should have a community midwife who can give them direct access to support and guidance for their pregnancy, if they would otherwise have been giving birth in the Tirion birth centre, to explain to them the variety of alternatives that are available. And that's potentially not just within the health board, because I do know that Cwm Taf...
Vaughan Gething: I think that's very important, because I said in my statement that some elements of that had to be paused, but they're really important in terms of giving that reassurance that other Members have looked for as well. And part of this—if we're going to have an honest assessment of it, we can't simply say that, six months in, or 12 months in, we can tick it off the list. Because, actually, the...
Vaughan Gething: Llywydd, apologies. Could I just have one moment before starting the debate? There's just something that I need to deal with where I am. I apologise, but could I have just 30 seconds?
