Angela Burns: I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for health for bringing forward today's statement. It's 2018—70 years of our national health service and, wow, what a rollercoaster it has been. Like you, Cabinet Secretary, I absolutely recognise the determination and passion of Aneurin Bevan. He saw a need, he built on ideas put forward during the war years, and as part of Attlee's Government he was...
Angela Burns: Just to clarify, as we're swapping numbers, we looked at the NHS census data— the numbers of young men, or boys, in Wales today—and if we were to go out and start from ground zero and give them all that very essential injection, or two injections, and then move forward from there.
Angela Burns: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank Members of Plaid Cymru for bringing forward this debate, which we will be supporting more than wholeheartedly, because in today's NHS we are constantly talking about the need to prevent rather than cure and isn't prevention so much easier, and, if we can go out and capture people who might have the misfortune to develop a cancer of this...
Angela Burns: But it's not, and that's my point.
Angela Burns: Well, I'm pleased to hear you say that, and, of course, the parliamentary review really recommended—well, had two key thrusts. The first was that we want the general public to begin to take more responsibility for their own health and to manage themselves in a more appropriate way, and the second thrust was that we want people to go into hospital less often, and when they're there to get...
Angela Burns: No.
Angela Burns: Let me clarify it slightly for you, Cabinet Secretary, as you seem to be struggling slightly there. I notice, for example, that the Member for Cynon Valley recently tabled some written questions seeking information around the procedures in place surrounding hospital patients self-administering their medication. It appeared that she received some fairly stock answers to it. Now, let's have a...
Angela Burns: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Good afternoon, Cabinet Secretary. Will you please outline what procedures are in place for hospital patients to administer their own routine medications?
Angela Burns: I'd like to thank the Minister for bringing forward this statement today, the content of which is very welcome to us, because you have pinpointed with accuracy that lifestyle, transport, housing and design are vital elements of how we're going to be able to move forward in a more integrated way and to have a healthier Wales. It's very vital because home is going to be increasingly the place...
Angela Burns: Thank you for your statement today. I think you're absolutely right to raise the challenges that we all face, whether we're in Wales or in the UK, in regard to leaving the EU under terms of an agreement that are satisfactory to all of us. However, I do think that there's a degree of mischief making in this statement because this is still a negotiation, as you well know, and I do want to...
Angela Burns: Of course, First Minister, I'm sure you'll agree that it's not just a new pathway we need, but people with the passion and commitment to deliver it in a really proactive way. Just recently, I made it my business to go and meet Louise Walby, who was this year's Royal College of Nursing nurse of the year, because Louise has in Cwm Taf developed an excellent programme for dealing with people...
Angela Burns: Will you take an intervention? I just wondered why you were not able to commit to delivering it by January 2019, because I fear that, unless there's a real target on it, it could drift?
Angela Burns: Would you take an intervention?
Angela Burns: Thank you very much indeed, Caroline Jones, for taking the intervention. You've highlighted the case exceptionally well for why we have such a big shortage everywhere, which is why—and I'm going to read the figure out again—948 years are lost because of mental illness. If only some of those people were put back into the workforce more quickly, instead of having to recruit people. We...
Angela Burns: Cabinet Secretary, these issues alone further demonstrate the need for more effective health and well-being practices to be employed across the NHS in Wales. It's ironic, isn't it, that a profession that looks after sick people finds it so difficult to keep its own staff physically and mentally fit. I believe there is a very good case for NHS staff to receive rapid access to treatment and...
Angela Burns: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm pleased to move the motion tabled in the name of Paul Davies. We recognise the immense contribution made to our society by the health and social care sectors, and we want to demonstrate the need for integrated workforce planning, and put forward ideas on how to improve the recruitment and training of staff. Today's debate has four key aims, as set out in our motion....
Angela Burns: Thank you, Presiding Officer, although I don't know why I should thank you in some ways because this Bill makes me despair. It is here that we have yet another example of Welsh Government rushing through shoddily constructed legislation in pursuit of a policy objective that none would argue with. Indeed, the Welsh Conservatives had a commitment to enacting measures in our last manifesto to...
Angela Burns: Of course, we do know a little bit better now what is happening in Betsi Cadwaladr, and what support the Welsh Government is offering that health board, simply because we have raised it here so many times that we've finally managed to get an answer. I wonder, now, First Minister, if you might be able to enlighten us as to the types of levels of support that the Welsh Government is offering...
Angela Burns: I'd also like to begin my contribution, as has everyone else, with a heartfelt thank you to all of the carers of Wales who, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, are never off duty and very seldom have down time. As others have said, without them, truly, our society would grind to a halt. I was staggered by Suzy Davies's figures about the fact that the numbers of carers actually outnumber our...
Angela Burns: We will be supporting both amendments 7 and 8. At Stage 2, my colleague Suzy Davies raised concerns that the promotion plan was yet to be shared, which is of great concern to us, and we need to take every opportunity that we can to reinforce the public health message. We all talk about it here an awful lot; we need to start talking about it out there.
