Lynne Neagle: Thank you very much, Jane, and thank you for the kind words as well, which are much appreciated. I just want to be clear that I didn't say that all young people don't need specialist mental health support. What we know, though, is that some of those young people who are referred into specialist CAMHS won't meet the threshold for specialist CAMHS because they're not mentally ill; they're...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Delyth, for making those points. I entirely recognise what is, in some ways, a unique form of grief with a miscarriage, because, often, people don't recognise it as the devastating loss that it is, and that compounds the grief that people feel when they lose a baby. We've got a bereavement steering group in Wales and we've published a national bereavement framework for Wales that...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that question. Clearly, our aim in Wales is to have a 'no wrong door' service. We have targets in place in Wales for primary mental health services and access to other services. Services are under pressure at the moment and we are taking action to recover performance with health boards.
Lynne Neagle: Had the Member been here yesterday and joined us for my statement on our 'Together for Mental Health' strategy, he would have heard me talk in detail about these. Keir Starmer is entitled to set out his policies for the forthcoming Labour Government in England, but it may surprise you to learn that health is devolved in Wales. I absolutely do not accept that we are failing the children of...
Lynne Neagle: Well, I think you'll find, James, that there is no section 151 of the Mental Health Act. Obviously, there are protections in place under the law to detain people who are in mental health crisis. We want to see the numbers of young people who are being detained reduced. That's why we're investing all this money in early intervention, prevention, in sanctuary services and in crisis care. But...
Lynne Neagle: Whilst we recognise that e-cigarettes are being used by some of those wanting to quit smoking, the evidence around their long-term impact is still emerging. We intend to look closely at our policy on e-cigarettes in Wales, including for smoking cessation, as part of our new tobacco control delivery plan.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you to Laura Anne Jones for that. Smoking is, of course, extremely damaging to health, and stopping smoking is the single most important step someone can take to improve their health. We recognise that, for some people, e-cigarettes and other nicotine products are being used to help them to stop smoking, and current evidence suggests they are substantially less harmful than smoking...
Lynne Neagle: Improving public health is identified as a priority within 'A Healthier Wales', our long-term strategy for health and social care. This is supported by plans such as our tobacco control and 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales' strategies.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you very much, Altaf, for that question. Tackling the public health challenges you've outlined is absolutely a priority for Welsh Government. As you've highlighted, obesity and smoking are drivers of inequalities, given their impact on people's life expectancy and healthy life expectancy, and people who are from the most deprived areas are more likely to be obese or to smoke than those...
Lynne Neagle: There are now specialist perinatal mental health services in every health board area in Wales, supported by over £3m of mental health service improvement funding annually. A condition of this funding is that health boards are required to work towards meeting the relevant Royal College of Psychiatrists’ quality standards.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and can I thank Jenny Rathbone for tabling this debate today? We know that our health and well-being are not determined by access to healthcare services alone, but by a whole host of social, economic and environmental considerations. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact. The direct health impacts of COVID and long COVID, the changes to the way...
Lynne Neagle: Well, it's funny you should say that, because I was just coming on to community assets. I also recognise the importance of community assets. Our long-running communities facilities programme and our new and innovative community assets loan fund are just some of the ways we recognise and support ongoing development of infrastructure for community hubs, working with community partners to...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Mark. Clearly, empowering communities is a key part of what we're doing and I very much support us taking a strength-based approach to that work. As I said, we also launched the real-time suicide surveillance system, which will provide earlier access to information to help inform future prevention work, but, vitally, ensure appropriate support for those bereaved by suicide who...
Lynne Neagle: Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion. The regulations that we are debating today make amendments to domestic legislation applying in relation to Wales on food and feed safety and hygiene. These amendments are required to improve the clarity and accessibility of Welsh domestic food and feed safety and hygiene legislation following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, and to correct references...
Lynne Neagle: Diolch, Llywydd, and can I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for his contribution and also Jenny Rathbone for her contribution to the debate today? I'm also very happy to give the assurance that I will take what you've said away and do whatever I can to make sure that we aren't in this position again. So, you have my very firm commitment on that. As I've already highlighted, the instrument makes no...
Lynne Neagle: We are taking a whole-system approach to protecting children and young people’s mental health. We have invested significantly in mental health support from early intervention to specialist services. We have also introduced statutory guidance to embed mental well-being in schools and we are implementing the Nest/Nyth framework across Wales.
Lynne Neagle: Formally.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. Firstly, I'd like to thank the Conservatives for bringing this important issue to the Chamber, and to all Members who've contributed to today's debate. I've listened carefully to all speakers, and there have been many important points made. Liver disease is the third leading cause of premature death in the UK, and regrettably deaths in Wales from chronic liver...
Lynne Neagle: Alcohol misuse is also a major health issue affecting individuals, families and communities, and preventing the harm caused by alcohol continues to be a priority for the Government. We are committed to ensuring that our services provide early intervention and prevention, so that longer term harms are prevented before they occur. In 2022 to 2023, we increased our investment in the substance...
Lynne Neagle: Yes, I agree with you that having access to data is vitally important. That's why a key priority for us is to make sure that we can progress our core mental health data set, which will supplement the information that we already routinely publish on mental health waiting times.
