Vaughan Gething: I thank the Member for raising that for particular attention. I’ll start with your point on special leave. These are, broadly, public servants who go out and undertake these international learning opportunities—not just public servants, though. As I was leaving, a new group came in, and one was a counsellor who had taken time out of their public duties to go, and another was from the...
Vaughan Gething: I thank the Member for her points and questions. From the health perspective, it’s about maintaining the links we have and what we then want to build on, because this is not a programme with a huge budget attached to it. Much of what is actually achieved is achieved with a very small amount of money. Much of it is actually the knowledge transfer and equipping people to make their own...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments and questions, and an invitation to take advantage of the First Minister not being in the Chamber. I'll decline the opportunity to try and set policy on the fly. This is, as you know, quite properly the remit of the First Minister in terms of external engagement from Wales. But, look, in terms of where we are as a Government, I think we've been really clear that,...
Vaughan Gething: I thank Darren Millar for his positive and constructive comments about this programme. Of course, I do recall the aftermath of one of his visits to South Africa, when he returned with a notable injury. I think many of us enjoyed the sight of him with his leg in the air in a wheelchair rather more than he did. But you’re right, in particular—to take your first broad point about the role of...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I visited Mbale in Uganda during the half-term recess as part of the celebrations of the tenth anniversary of the Welsh Government’s Wales for Africa programme. The programme has supported and encouraged people in Wales to make a difference in sub-Saharan Africa. Whilst people from Wales have active partnerships in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, probably the...
Vaughan Gething: I thank the Member for the points that he’s made, which largely restate points made by other Members in terms of the questions. I’m happy to indicate again that the health board indicate it’s their option to have a temporary change in the service to reflect the fact that they’re not able to provide all of the consultant cover for the model of care to be provided safely for children...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the points made. And, again, I recognise and recall the same conversation about improving the community service in paediatrics, to make sure that children’s care is properly anticipated and managed. It’s much better for the families and much better for the child to make sure that, wherever that care is being undertaken, it’s undertaken in as planned a manner as possible....
Vaughan Gething: I thank the Member for the points that he’s made. Now, I go back to the fact that we’re talking about options for a temporary change to the service, and that’s the point. To try and talk about these as if this is a done deal for the long-term future of the service is simply not the case. That is simply not what the health board are proposing to do. And it really is important that...
Vaughan Gething: I’m happy to reassure you that local families do not need to change access to care. You’ll have heard me answer Eluned Morgan’s question, and in particular the point about transport and access to care, and, indeed, if there is a need for a child to be transported to a different point to receive their care, then the health board, together with the Welsh ambulance service trust, should...
Vaughan Gething: I thank the Member for the follow-up points. On your first one, which you made earlier, as well, about the possibility of full closure, that’s not the planned option. I’ve seen that the recommended option is, indeed, a temporary reduction in hours, before returning to a 12-hour ambulatory care unit, supported by consultant cover in addition on rota from Glangwili. I’m clear that...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. At its public board meeting on 24 November, Hywel Dda university health board will consider options for temporary changes to the opening hours of the paediatric ambulatory care unit at Withybush hospital. This is an operational matter for the health board.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I thank my colleague for raising this matter in the Chamber, but also the contribution of Jenny Rathbone. You both made your own perspectives and points very clear about the decision taken by Cardiff University. I think it’s important to start off by recognising the impact of heart disease. We’ve heard recently, and again reminded ourselves in the...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I’m pleased to speak in today’s debate and recognise the contributions made by other Members on the invaluable contribution that our NHS workforce makes to the health of our nation. Staff are at the heart of our NHS, and our priority is to ensure that the Welsh NHS has the right workforce it needs for the longer term. We will not discriminate against...
Vaughan Gething: Formally.
Vaughan Gething: Hello. Sorry?
Vaughan Gething: Sorry. Thank you for the comments and questions—said with the authority of a former head of health for Unison, of course. I think, actually, that the point you made early at the start about the English system—. Part of our challenge in Wales is to recognise the challenges that the more disjointed system in England has delivered for their staff and citizens, but also to make real the...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the points—a number of similar points to Angela Burns, and some novel ones as well. In terms of the workforce challenge, as I say, we recognise it. In every statement that I make in this Chamber, every set of questions, I expect to get asked about the workforce challenges. These are challenges that are not unique to Wales, but we have a responsibility to help navigate our way...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments and questions. I think I can be upbeat and ambitious about where we could and should be and talk about a resilient service, but, as I’ve said several times in my statement, winter will be a challenge; it always is. We know that the demand profile changes in winter. We know that when we talk about the service under pressure, we're talking about our staff, and I'm...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments and questions. In terms of your opening comments, I don’t accept your assessment that there’s not much mention of social care. Social care is crucial to the whole system working. It isn’t just about social workers within hospitals—when you think about the ICF and the way that works, that’s got to be a partnership with social care. And, in your own...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m pleased to update Members on how NHS Wales, local authorities and other partners are planning to deliver resilient services to citizens for the coming winter period. Last winter, urgent and emergency services experienced days where there were significant surges in demand, especially from patients with increasingly complex care needs. On some days,...
