Vaughan Gething: I recognise that the Member does genuinely wish to improve services for autistic people, and more than that to improve people's lived experience—there's no dispute between us on that. The challenge is whether or not the Bill that you propose will actually deliver that—that's not an area that we agree on. We'll have plenty of time to talk about that next week, and, indeed, to consider the...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. A number of projects are under way to improve access to testing, including the provision of self-sampling HIV tests and a pilot for online testing. Pre-exposure prophylaxis is providing protection for those with lifestyle risks. These measures, supported by effective medical care, mean we are continually reducing the risk of HIV infection.
Vaughan Gething: Yes, I'm very pleased and proud of the national approach that we've chosen to take here in Wales—a genuinely national approach based on clinical need being the criteria for access to PrEP. That's in contrast to the approach taken in both Northern Ireland and England, where there isn't a national approach and, of course, the Terrence Higgins Trust and others are fundraising to be able to...
Vaughan Gething: I am happy to confirm that construction on the Grange hospital site commenced on 30 October 2017. It is on schedule and on budget, and due to open in the spring of 2021.
Vaughan Gething: I couldn't forecast for him the level of demand that may come from people who have yet to make choices about where they do or don't wish to live. Of course, the overwhelming majority of staff who will work at the Grange are already within NHS Wales now. A number of people travel to work over relatively significant distances in addition to those who choose to live within a much shorter period...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. Betsi Cadwaladr university health board has approved plans to create a specialist vascular unit for north Wales at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd. There are no plans to close any vascular departments. The health board will continue to treat patients with non-complex needs at all three north Wales hospitals, including Ysbyty Gwynedd.
Vaughan Gething: With respect, I don't share the view that he provides about the service change that is being planned for, and I would point out that this is a planned service change that is supported by the relevant professional body, the Royal College of Surgeons, including by the council here in Wales. And not only that, though, but because of the changes that are being made, the health board has been...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. The purpose of the enhanced monitoring is to provide additional support to the health board to enable them to focus on appropriate actions and to return to normal monitoring arrangements as quickly as possible.
Vaughan Gething: Yes, and the health board should not be surprised by today's decision. There's been regular communication between the chief executive of NHS Wales and the chief exec of the health board. And since the issues were raised about maternity services, I've spoken on several occasions to the chair of the health board. And the additional matters that were raised by regulators in the audit office are...
Vaughan Gething: First, to do with your point about—. Every health board has challenges to face in almost every single area of activity. We regularly discuss the rising demand, the changing nature of that demand, and, of course, those are challenges for a health board in the services that it provides. I don't think any person of any party political persuasion would be able to define an exhaustive list of...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. I'm happy to reconfirm and to reiterate that this statement does not affect the overall quality of services, and it should not lead to a loss of public trust and confidence in the overall quality of services provided by Cwm Taf university health board. I hope that making that as a very clear statement will be helpful, and I'm sure the health board will be reiterating that to both...
Vaughan Gething: I'm happy to give reassurance and confirmation on your second point simply at the outset. This won't affect the timetable for boundary change. I believe it would be entirely the wrong thing to do to try and pause or interrupt that now. That boundary change is due to take place from the start of April, and this should not affect the health board's ability to deal with the list of areas. The...
Vaughan Gething: Patients flow across administrative boundaries every day in Wales and England. Local health boards in Wales work with clinical commissioning groups in England to ensure the provision of high-quality healthcare for their local populations.
Vaughan Gething: 'A Healthier Wales’ is the Welsh Government’s first joint health and social care plan and sets out a long-term future vision of a whole-system approach focused on providing joined-up services in community settings, including more emphasis on preventative services and on maintaining health and well-being.
Vaughan Gething: Welsh Government recognises the health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and babies and is committed to promoting its uptake and providing support to mothers who choose to breastfeed. A national programme is implementing the recommended actions from the review published in May 2018, focused on improving breastfeeding rates in maternity and early years settings.
Vaughan Gething: We continue to work with health boards and Health Education and Improvement Wales on recruitment and retention challenges, with short, medium and long-term action. This includes our successful Train Work Live campaign, increasing medical school places and working to ensure more Welsh students study to become healthcare professionals.
Vaughan Gething: Since the publication of the chief medical officer’s report last year, we have been working across Government to identify the actions that we can take to reduce gambling-related harm and the impact it has on health and wider society. Further details are given in my written statement of 21 December.
Vaughan Gething: I use a range of measures to continually assess the performance, successes and challenges of delivering health services across Wales. In north Wales, I have also set out clear milestones for the health board in the special measures improvement framework, published in May.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I want to say at the outset that everyone in this Chamber wants to improve outcomes and the quality of life for autistic people and their families. And I agree that support for autistic people needs to be better. That support is not yet consistently available, and for some families it does feel like a fight to get the right support and a system that works...
Vaughan Gething: I'll come to that point. It's a point of dispute between the Government and the Finance Committee about the provision of information. I want to make some progress before I take further interventions. We have begun a series of reforms to make services more responsive to the individual needs of autistic people and their families. The clear majority of clinicians, professional groups, the NHS...
