Vaughan Gething: Yes, and I recognise the point that he makes about Tonyrefail with a group of community fundraisers, and the work in particular of the two Welsh-based charities, being Cariad and Welsh Hearts, but also the British Heart Foundation too are obviously interested in seeing more publicly accessible defibrillators made available. And that's why the partnership with WAST matters, to understand...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. The Welsh Government recognises the importance of sleep medicine, and our approach is set out in the respiratory health delivery plan for Wales. That plan was updated and republished in January this year. It includes a national work stream for improving sleep medicine.
Vaughan Gething: Indeed, I've received correspondence on this issue directly, and it is part of what the respiratory health improvement group are looking at, because, as you point out, sleeping disorders do exist, and the most common ones we talk about are narcolepsy and sleep apnoea. There are others, and they do have a real impact on people's ability to live their everyday lives. So, we're looking at more...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. My officials continue to work closely with the health board to provide the necessary support and challenge as they work towards ensuring their services meet the needs of their local population.
Vaughan Gething: Well, I won't commit to providing a statement; what I will commit to is that I'm happy to make sure that Members are informed not just of the support available, but of the progress, or otherwise, of ABM health board, because you're right that there have been challenges around unscheduled care and cancer performance in particular. I'm pleased there's been an improvement trajectory within this...
Vaughan Gething: Formally.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank Members for their views on this important issue that we've discussed before and I hope we can discuss again in the future once a decision is made. The United Kingdom's independent expert panel on immunisation matters that we've heard about today—the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation—gave further consideration to...
Vaughan Gething: Access to NHS dental care has improved significantly in recent years although difficulties remain in some areas. Health boards have the budgets and responsibility for the provision of dental services and are working to address gaps in service provision by commissioning additional services.
Vaughan Gething: The overwhelming majority of people in Wales are very satisfied with the care they receive from the NHS. We are working with the NHS and GPs on improving access as part of our programme of contract and service reform.
Vaughan Gething: We are committed to delivering a sustainable social care sector with a valued and supported workforce. We brought forward the Regulated Services (Service Providers and Responsible Individuals) (Wales) Regulations 2017 to provide greater flexibility for providers to ensure the level of nursing staff is appropriate to the needs of individuals.
Vaughan Gething: I have regular accountability meetings with health boards and trusts. These meetings allow me to challenge and assess organisational delivery and performance against agreed integrated medium-term plans, planning objectives and support achievement of the outcomes and indicators as set out in the national outcome and delivery framework.
Vaughan Gething: I have commissioned a review of eating disorder services following the publication of new NICE guidelines in 2017. The review started in early 2018 and is being led by Dr Jacinta Tan of Swansea University. It is considering all aspects of service provision and will report later in 2018.
Vaughan Gething: Diolch, Llywydd. As Members are already aware, this week marks the seventieth anniversary of our health service. This is a particularly proud landmark for us here in Wales, given that its founding father was of course our very own Aneurin Bevan. The son of a Tredegar miner who left school at the age of 13 and seemed to be set for a life working underground. Had it not been for a trade union...
Vaughan Gething: And these are incredible achievements to be celebrated. Yet we know that there's always more to do. A growing and ageing population places ever-greater demands on our services. The ever-faster rate of medical and technological advancement is creating opportunity and expectation, together with more funding dilemmas for services with finite budgets and a myriad of competing priorities. In many...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Angela. I do welcome what you say about the personal thanks to the NHS, not just the general improvement of public health. You mentioned polio, measles and a whole range of other things that killed lots of people in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s that have been eradicated because we had a universal service that was able to deliver a comprehensive vaccination programme. So, it has been...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments and the questions. First I'll reflect on the progress made since pre the health service, as has been eluded to. Yesterday, I was at Llandough hospital looking at the mural where they'd actually developed some of the recognition and research into pneumoconiosis. After that, I saw a patchwork quilt with a number of different stories about the NHS. One of them was a...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Caroline. Again, I recognise your personal story and recognition of the fact that the NHS has helped to protect and maintain your own life, and also the huge progress made in improving health and in removing significant causes of disability, illness and death. Again, we've all mentioned staff within the service, and it's absolutely right that we do. The challenge then is about...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, and I want to recognise in particular the point about the contaminated blood inquiry, because the impact of the health service is so great because we recognise the challenges we would have without it. That also means that there are times when healthcare goes wrong and has a huge impact on people's lives too. And there is always learning to be taken from complaints and from when we get...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for your comments. Funnily enough, you mentioned Julian Tudor Hart—I know a man whom you have met several times yourself—I last met him at the south west Wales faculty of the Royal College of General Practitioners, and he still had plenty to say at that point in time, as he always did. I recognise what you say about sharing risk and sharing benefit, and we see developed...
Vaughan Gething: Good to hear mention of one of my predecessors, Dr Gibbons, who I saw recently, in reference to Julian Tudor Hart as well—and Dr Gibbons is still full of ideas and views about the future of the service. On your point about clinical strategy, there is a challenge about what should be national and what should be regional, and how that clinical strategy needs to rub up against and be designed...
