Lynne Neagle: Can I thank Heledd Fychan for that question? As I believe she's aware, health boards now receive, since 2017, an extra £3.8 million to support improvements in ED services and waiting times, and since 2019 funding has been provided to health boards specifically to reconfigure services towards early intervention to work towards achieving the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that question, James. I think I've already set out the very significant investment we are putting into eating disorder services to transform those across Wales, with a very strong focus on early intervention. We are investing £3.8 million extra every year, and that has continued since 2017. It has been a really challenging time, because we did see during the pandemic an...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that supplementary, Mike. We were clear when the Tan review was published that the changes wouldn't happen overnight, given the range and the breadth of the recommendations, and that's why we've continued to invest such a significant amount of funding in implementing the Tan recommendations year on year. As you've highlighted, the pressure that eating disorder services have...
Lynne Neagle: Formally.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to respond to this debate and to place on my record my recognition of the commitment of Betsi Cadwaladr health board to continue to improve mental health services. I'd like to acknowledge the dedication of the staff on the ground in north Wales, who work hard to deliver high-quality and compassionate care for patients who need mental...
Lynne Neagle: Some suggest there was some sort of delay between the report being produced and the health board being placed in special measures. However, as we know, the Holden report was one of a number of independent reviews commissioned by the health board in response to concerns about the quality of mental health care in north Wales, which led to its placement in special measures in 2015. There was no...
Lynne Neagle: —the response to crisis. However, most people presenting with emotional distress do not need specialist mental health support. Often it is support for wider social and welfare needs that is required, and I am committed to driving a multi-agency and cross-Government approach to this. This motion asks us to deliver a new mental health Act for Wales. We have signed up to the reforms of the...
Lynne Neagle: This motion fails to acknowledge any of the work over the last few years, but instead looks to assign blame. It fails to support the organisation. It fails to support the hard-working and determined staff on the ground—the same staff we clapped on our doorsteps not so long ago. It fails to recognise improvements in services made in the years since Holden. Most of all, it fails to recognise...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you. Thank you, James, for that question. I haven't seen the study that you have referred to, although of course I'm very well aware of the link between being overweight and increased susceptibility to having serious COVID. But I completely refute your suggestion that our strategy, 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales', is just another Welsh Government strategy. We're investing £6.6 million...
Lynne Neagle: Well, in terms of the delivery plan we've been working to, that had to be adapted because of the impact of the pandemic. The pandemic has undoubtedly had an impact on our ability to take action in this area and, as I've already said, has actually worsened the problems with obesity and people being overweight. I set out the figures that we are investing, which are very substantial, in the...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, James. As I said last week in the committee, we've been piloting the diabetes prevention programme, and what we're doing now is upscaling that across the whole of Wales. But that is not the only measure that we're taking to prevent type 2 diabetes. We've also got the all-Wales weight management pathway, which covers children and adults, and I think we shouldn't forget that,...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Buffy. The community development hubs in Rhondda Cynon Taf are good examples of projects embodying social prescribing principles across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area. We are also taking forward our programme for government commitment to develop an all-Wales framework to support social prescribing.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that supplementary, Buffy. As you know, we are developing a national framework for social prescribing in Wales, which is designed to make sure that there is good coverage everywhere really, not just in pockets. There are some brilliant examples of social prescribing, and I'm a huge fan of the Men's Shed movement. We've been very clear that, as we take forward this national...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Mark. We continue to prioritise support for eating disorder services in line with the recommendations in the 2018 independent review. We have increased investment each year since 2017 to support equitable service improvements, including increasing community treatment and support and early intervention services.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Mark. As you highlighted, the 2018 review did set out a radical agenda for change, but we were very clear that that would have to be undertaken in a phased way. The Welsh Government funds Beat; we give Beat £100,000. So, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank Beat for the really important support that they're providing as a third sector organisation. Their report,...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you. Mental health support in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire is provided by the NHS and a range of partners. Hywel Dda University Health Board's transforming mental health services programme is providing further benefits.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that question. I'm really sorry to hear about the young person that you referred to. I'm really pleased to see any organisation that is working to support people either affected by suicide or to prevent suicide. I've not come across this organisation myself, but I'm very happy to have a look at the work that they do. We recently closed a bidding round for a significant amount of...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. It's really pleasing to update Members on the work being undertaken under our substance misuse delivery plan 2019-22, as we continue to tackle the harms associated with substance misuse. The overall aim of the delivery plan is to ensure that people in Wales are aware of the dangers and the impact of substance misuse and know where they can seek information, help and...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you very much, James, for those kind words, the welcome for the statement and the recognition of the positive work, and also for your questions. It's really encouraging to hear you say that you too are very keen to take a person-centred, health-related approach to issues with substance misuse. That is very much the ethos that drives our work in Wales. We don't believe that criminalising...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you very much, Peredur, and I very much look forward to coming to the cross-party group, to one of your future meetings, and I recognise this is an area that you feel passionately about, and I'm very much looking forward to continuing to work with you. I wholeheartedly agree again with your comments about the need not to criminalise people. Unfortunately, the engagement that we've had...
