Vaughan Gething: Formally.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Presiding Officer, and to Members who have spoken in today's debate, which I'm happy to respond to. As everyone has recognised, poor eye health is a common problem that can have a devastating impact on people and their families. And, as we recognise, the number of people in Wales living with sight loss is predicted to double by 2050. So, given the importance of eye healthcare, I do...
Vaughan Gething: I think that's getting away from the topic of the motion, but we do use providers outside the health service to catch up. It's what we do in a range of areas in order to make the best use of NHS capacity, but the challenge is, if we don't make use of services outside the national health service, then the reality is that more people wait for longer. And, actually, part of the point of what...
Vaughan Gething: The national target for red calls has been met for 44 consecutive months. There remain local challenges, and I have directed the chief ambulance services commissioner to work with health boards and the Welsh ambulance service to provide enhanced performance management and support to reduce the longest waits in the red category.
Vaughan Gething: Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board is responsible for the provision of health services in north Wales, including car parking and other transport facilities at its hospital sites. It has been considering future parking arrangements at Glan Clwyd Hospital and has been assessing the daily use of the park-and-ride service as part of this evaluation.
Vaughan Gething: 'A Healthier Wales' sets out our commitment to support the use of technologies to improve health and care services in Wales. This includes significant additional investment in digital priorities, and continues previous work to support technology adoption, including the establishment of Health Technology Wales.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Presiding Officer, I'm happy to move the motion in front of us. Part 5 of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 regulates body piercings that can be performed on certain intimate body parts of a child, which is known as intimate piercing. Since 1 February 2018, it has been a criminal offence for a person in Wales to perform, or make arrangements to perform, an intimate piercing on any...
Vaughan Gething: Cardiff wasn't in the survey, was it?
Vaughan Gething: Formally.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I welcome this opportunity to update Members on the work being done to improve support with and for autistic people. I'm pleased that the motion recognises that there has been genuine improvement, but there is, of course, more to do. And I do want to say at the outset that I do recognise the genuine commitment of Members right across this Chamber who have...
Vaughan Gething: So, it is important not just for Members but also for autistic people, their families and carers that the Welsh Government is transparent about the extent and quality of current service provision. That's why I published the second annual report about the Welsh Government's autism strategy. It provides clear information on the delivery of our commitments in the autism delivery plan. That...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to start by thanking the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee for bringing forward today's debate on their report following their inquiry into this important issue. I recognise this is an issue that has not had much focus and attention in terms of committee reports and scrutiny in the past, and I think it's a good thing that that has taken...
Vaughan Gething: Formally.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you to Members for their contributions in the debate. I'll start by making it clear that staff rotas are an operational matter and the responsibility of individual organisations. They should ensure that all of their rotas take into consideration compliance with the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016, are designed to meet the needs of staff,...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. I made the decision to improve cancer diagnosis, with Wales being the first country to introduce the single cancer pathway. This reports on the time a patient waits from initial suspicion of cancer to the start of treatment. Our latest data shows that 75.1 per cent of patients started treatment within 62 days of the initial point of suspicion.
Vaughan Gething: The point that the Member makes about earlier diagnosis is exactly right—it’s a key section of our cancer strategy here in Wales. And, of course, the single cancer pathway will give us a better idea of the points at which we need to improve across the service. There is always going to be a workforce challenge that is simply not going to be resolved by new treatments or new technology. So,...
Vaughan Gething: Well, I think much of what the Member asked was covered in my response to John Griffiths. It is a fact that when you look at cancer waiting times we've comparatively done better than England. If you look at our single cancer pathway new figure, it’s actually only a couple of percentage points lower than the old target on offer in England, and for only some of the pathway. And the reason...
Vaughan Gething: NHS Wales has not taken the approach the Member refers to. The All Wales Medicines Strategy Group has developed guidance identifying several treatments that are poor value for money, ineffective or dangerous. Doctors use their clinical judgment and other prescribers to offer the best possible treatment options to their patients.
Vaughan Gething: I'm afraid the Member's question doesn't just depart from her initial one in not referring to low clinical priority treatments and a list of prescribable treatments, but actually it's a significant misunderstanding of the position around Orkambi. I have said in correspondence to all Members and in public statements that I continue to express my frustration at the choice that Vertex have...
Vaughan Gething: As I've indicated previously when discussing primary care more generally here, the reform process of contracts in primary care, including pharmacy, is an important part of our ability to meet our shared objectives. Actually, pharmacy contractors here in Wales who are community pharmacists are engaged in a regular and constructive conversation with the Government. I expect the next stage of...