Caroline Jones: 1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on ambulance response times in South Wales West? OAQ51478
Caroline Jones: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. We have made great progress in dealing with immediately life-threatening calls, but not so well for amber calls. Last month saw over 35 per cent of amber calls taking more than half an hour for a response in ABMU. The longest wait across Wales was a staggering 23 hours. When you consider that suspected strokes are categorised as amber, and these patients can wait...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, despite just over 3 million people living in Wales, our accident and emergency departments were visited more than 1 million times in the past 12 months. There has been an increase of around two thirds in the numbers of people waiting more than four hours in A&E, and the media have reported that one senior doctor saw examples of people waiting for 80...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. In just over 10 days, the NHS will once again experience the miracle of Christmas, where the wards are empty on Christmas eve but fill up again on Boxing Day. If we are to avoid the scenes witnessed in previous years that saw ambulances queued up outside A&E, we have to reduce demand on our urgent care system over the festive period. Cabinet...
Caroline Jones: Thank you once again, Cabinet Secretary. Choosing well requires having the right information to hand. NHS Direct and the 111 service have a role to play in providing such information to patients, helping them to make informed decisions and signposting them to the most appropriate service. My local health board was the pilot area for the 111 service, so could you provide an update on...
Caroline Jones: 3. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on waiting times for children and adolescent mental health services? OAQ51479
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, there has been tremendous progress in the past 12 months in reducing the number of children and young people waiting for a CAMHS appointment. I welcome the work the Welsh Government has undertaken on this issue. As a result of the additional investment, we cut the numbers waiting for treatment by over two thirds. However, we still have over 500 children and young people...
Caroline Jones: Putting an end to homelessness is one of the key reasons I entered politics. As recently as Monday night, when I attended an event in Cardiff, I was confronted with the sad situation of two gentlemen, homeless, in need of a cup of coffee. In the twenty-first century, homelessness is morally reprehensible. In the prison service, I saw many young men who committed crimes simply to have a roof...
Caroline Jones: I would also like to thank the Minister for taking the time to contact me yesterday, discuss things with me, and provide me with a statement this morning. It is appreciated that, while we are in the consultation stages of this subject and the legislation is not yet implemented, the proposed legislation is referred to as removing the defence of reasonable chastisement. In simpler terms, the...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. 'Our Valleys, Our Future' is an exciting opportunity to embrace, but the documents are a stark admission that previous programmes, some of which have been initiated by the Welsh Government, have either failed or fallen short. Even the chair of the ministerial taskforce for the south Wales Valleys says in the initial document this summer, and I quote: 'If we are to...
Caroline Jones: Yes. Similarly, tourism and culture developments in my area, at sites in Bridgend, are welcome. I am certainly happy to hear about the town centre development in Neath, but at the same time I am concerned, because, sometimes, when town centres are regenerated, redeveloped—
Caroline Jones: —there are unintended consequences.
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, despite your own evidence in our committee about winter pressures and how they impact upon the NHS in Wales, we never seem to learn from these experiences; we always seem to be caught on the hop, as though winter pressure was something new. The word 'unprecedented' appears to come out every time, as if this word excuses the very fact that we are not learning from past...
Caroline Jones: Sorry. What strategy do you have planned for next year so that all GPs and hospital staff can meet to combat this? Thank you.
Caroline Jones: I'm delighted to take part in this very important debate today and I thank Plaid Cymru for bringing it to our attention. Homelessness in the twenty-first century is morally reprehensible. We have a duty to ensure, with regard to homes being built, that demand meets supply. It's called forward planning. Putting an end to homelessness is one of the key reasons I entered politics. In the...
Caroline Jones: Yes.
Caroline Jones: I think that when there was a right to buy scheme, I think the money that was taken from the right to buy scheme should have been reinvested in social housing. These families need homes urgently, yet there is not enough social housing to meet that need. The Welsh Government has a target to build around 4,000 affordable homes a year, yet only three quarters of that amount were built last...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, sadly we see the results when our health boards and local authorities fail to work together effectively: patients forced to stay in hospital far longer than necessary, or patients discharged without a care package in place. First Minister, I have been contacted by numerous elderly patients that have been left to fend for themselves after being discharged from hospital. What is...
Caroline Jones: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I would also like to place on record my thanks to Dr Ruth Hussey and the panel for the excellent work they've undertaken for their report and their recommendations. The report starkly lays out in black and white the actions we need to take if we are to deliver sustainable health and care now and in the future. Dr Hussey and her team have done...
Caroline Jones: Minister, every year, more than 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans, costing at least £6.2 billion in damage to marine ecosystems and killing an estimated 1 million seabirds, 100,000 sea mammals and untold numbers of fish. Supermarkets use ridiculous amounts of unnecessary plastic packaging, simply adding to the problem. Wales led the way on single-use carrier bags. Let's lead...
