Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Restructuring at this point in time is not the answer. We will have a tripartite meeting in June and that will provide recommendations to me on the appropriate level of escalation. I have asked to make sure that my officials are ready for any eventuality that comes from that tripartite meeting, and we have different methods now of making sure that we can support and intervene in the most...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I'm absolutely clear that this is not acceptable. The situation is—
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: If you let me finish—it's not acceptable. As soon as I heard there was an issue, I went to spend the whole day in the hospital just to see for myself what was going on and to see the pressures they were under. And I can tell you that I met some staff who had to stop because they were, frankly, in tears because of the pressure they were under. Of course we need to stand by those staff and we...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much. This is a disappointing report, and the failings in care that have been noted are unacceptable. The health board has confirmed to us that stringent arrangements are in place. We expect the health board to work with Healthcare Inspectorate Wales to accelerate improvements, and we will continue to provide support in order to enable change.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr. Well, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales has been supportive of this point. I think he supports this move because he believes that, whilst the rates are still very high—so, one in 35 is still reasonably high, and, of course, this measure was taken when we were at a point when it was about one in 20, which was very high, in the community—then he is very keen to make sure...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: As well as this legal requirement to wear a facial covering in public areas within health and social care settings, the current guidance for preventing COVID-19 infection also advises strongly that staff should continue to wear gloves, masks and aprons when providing personal care directly. Eye equipment should also be worn when providing personal care to people if COVID-19 has been confirmed...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I move the motion before us. Since the 14 April review, we've been reviewing the health data very closely to monitor any rise in figures due to an increase in social mixing over the Easter holidays. I'm pleased to announce that COVID-related hospitalisations have decreased over recent weeks. The latest results from the ONS coronavirus infection survey suggest that one...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: It is important now that we increase the capacity of the health service, that we prioritise diagnosis and treatment, that we transform the way that we provide elective care, and it's also important that we provide better information and support for people. We have allocated additional millions of pounds to ensure that we see theatres and additional resources for endoscopy, and that is already...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Wait a minute—that is not my job as a politician. That is not my job. That is the job of the NHS health boards, and it's my job to hold them to account, and it's my job to set them targets and to hold their feet to the fire for those targets and those outcomes, and that's what I'm doing. But I will not be getting involved in writing contracts for people, and I think it's really important...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Altaf, let me tell you what I do and what I don't do. What I don't do is I don't manage the NHS. That is not my job.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Can I just make it clear also that we heard loud and clear when the UK Government published their planned care plan that they didn't have a workforce plan alongside it? Well, we are very aware that we can't deliver this without a very active workforce, and we have recruited 8,000 more staff into the NHS than we had in September 2019. That's about a 54 per cent increase in staff to the NHS in...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I'm not—. I was very careful in what I said then.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I can assure you there is no gagging order from me.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to start by, I hope, speaking on behalf of the whole Chamber, just to say that I'm glad to see Altaf Hussain back in his place. I'm really pleased that he's had good treatment from the NHS, along with 200,000 other Welsh people per month who are receiving treatments in the NHS. I think we've got to start with that. Can we please recognise that the NHS...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Formally.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I have regular meetings with the chair and vice-chair of the health board, and during these meetings we discuss access to GP services. My officials also meet with health board, GP and patient representatives to discuss GP services. I know that GPs are responding to increasing patient demand, despite higher absence rates.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much. Well, we were really pleased that we brought in a safe level of nursing staffing in Wales—the first in the UK to do that—and we're very pleased that that is being assessed and being considered at the moment. Obviously, then, we are looking to see what more we need to do in this space. Now, I have regular discussions with the Royal College of Nursing, and they come up...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Diolch yn fawr, Buffy. I'm sure you'll be aware that the Deputy Minister for mental health has been absolutely committed to this issue, certainly when she was Chair of the committee before, and obviously now is responsible for making sure that that's enacted in practice. I think she visited the new Tonna centre that was opened only very recently, the first of its kind in Wales where we can...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: We don't hold the data on percentage of contacts that took place on a face-to-face basis. Throughout the pandemic, most health visitor contacts took place using telemedicine to help reduce transmission rates. Data on the Healthy Child Wales programme is published quarterly, most recently for the period July to September 2021.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thanks very much. We developed the planned care recovery plan with clinicians and with the health boards. They are stretching but realistic targets, and we'll be making sure that they keep to those. I would like to correct you on one thing, and that is this constant refrain that 20 per cent of the population of Wales is waiting for treatment. Well, that is the number of people on pathways,...
