Vaughan Gething: I'm happy to say that in regular Welsh Government messaging, we highlight the importance of good ventilation, and that's in not just press conferences and other events that I do, but from others—from the chief medical officer, the deputy chief medical officer and indeed the First Minister, who has highlighted this as well. I know that that's practically been taken on board. For example, we...
Vaughan Gething: I don't have an individual figure to hand today on the number of front-line staff who have not taken up the offer of the vaccine. We do know we've got incredibly high levels of take-up from our front-line staff, including within the ambulance service. We also know that, unfortunately, there is a sewer of anti-vax information that, in particular, concerns people of working age, with some...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, thank you. I've outlined the increased investment in new vehicles in my initial response. We continue to look at the fleet to make sure it's appropriate, both for the emergency side of the service, but also the urgent care and patient transport side of the service as well. When it comes to well-being, we've worked with social partners, so that's our NHS Wales employers and trade unions,...
Vaughan Gething: The Welsh Government has provided a range of initiatives to support paramedics and the ambulance service, including £1.6 million investment to expand the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, and £10.9 million for new operational vehicles, which of course are green and will reduce the carbon footprint of the organisation.
Vaughan Gething: I published the NHS Wales planning framework for 2021-22 on 14 December. The framework sets the direction for the year ahead and enables the NHS to start thinking about stabilisation and recovery. I will be issuing further guidance to support their planning shortly.
Vaughan Gething: The immediate priority for public health is our response to COVID-19. Health boards are continuing to provide essential services alongside delivering the vaccination programme and public health programmes.
Vaughan Gething: I issued a written statement on 20 January providing an update on our actions on long COVID. Our approach is based on research and founded on avoiding harm, promoting and supporting self-management with seamless care from the right health professionals or service, at or as close to home as possible.
Vaughan Gething: Yes, I'm happy to indicate that, of course, during the pandemic we've had significant challenges in our nurse numbers, but we've maintained our adherence to the duties. The expansion out, as I've indicated, comes on the back of having a recognised workforce planning tool, and we recognise that in this area and others, we need to continue to train and recruit and retain significant numbers of...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I move the motion before us. The statutory instrument before us today extends the scope of the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016's second duty to paediatric in-patient wards. It is the intention that these regulations come into force on 1 October 2021. When the 2016 Act was passed, sections 25B-25E were only applicable to adult acute medical and...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. I did see the clip of Sir Gareth Edwards, the greatest living Welshman, talking to the First Minister. I think it was very positive in terms of his own experience and what that meant. I hope that other people have had a chance to watch that, and that it will encourage others to make sure that they too go and get their vaccine and receive a warm welcome in the...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. On your first point, as you're aware, the time in the first few weeks when there was criticism over the vaccine roll-out programme in Wales was a time when we were building our infrastructure, and I think it's been proven that that was the right thing to do. We built a way to deliver that meant we could move at real pace in a sustained manner. So, that's why we are still at present...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. In terms of take-up, we are already seeing evidence of a differential in take-up, both through our most advantaged and least advantaged communities. So, the least well-off 20 per cent of the population have a 5 per cent to 6 per cent differential in take-up compared to our most advantaged population group, and we've seen that in groups 1 to 4. We do though also see...
Vaughan Gething: In respect of the questions about the next phase after we've completed priority groups 5 to 9, I think I've dealt with those at some length in response to both Angela Burns and Rhun ap Iorwerth, including the point about at-risk professions and people with learning disabilities that I've committed to dealing with in the very near future. I certainly hope that I will have dealt with people...
Vaughan Gething: I'll deal with the last point first, because there is a real concern about the level of misinformation and dishonesty in trying to dissuade people from having the vaccine and a range of scare stories that are being promoted. And I should say that I'm grateful for the way that Members across the political spectrum have looked to be really consistent in urging people to take the vaccine. You'll...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. I'll start with that final question because unpaid carers will be dealt with in group 6. I've answered lots of questions on that, and I'm really happy to restate the position to try to deal with some of the understandable concern that some people will have. So, we have had to work through—and we've done this deliberately with national carers organisations—how we define unpaid...
Vaughan Gething: On 11 January, I published our vaccination strategy for Wales. A huge amount has happened in just over six weeks. Our programme has gone from strength to strength. Later this week, I'll publish an update to the strategy, to both reflect on progress and to provide some further detail on our current and upcoming priorities. More than 860,000 people in Wales, all of whom are amongst the groups...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. Once again, I'd like to thank the legislation and justice committee for their consideration of the regulations. I regularly find their scrutiny helpful in making sure the law is in good order and consistent to the aims and objectives that it has. In terms of Rhun ap Iorwerth, I welcome his support for the measures and, in particular, the point he makes about encouraging people to...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm happy to move the motions before us. There are two sets of amendment regulations today. First, I'll consider those that relate to international travel, the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Restrictions) (Amendment) (No. 4) (Wales) Regulations 2021. Members will be aware that enhanced isolation requirements have been introduced...
Vaughan Gething: On your final point, there is work in train that Public Health Wales is doing to provide a useful figure on the clinically extremely vulnerable or the former shielded group of people, and the numbers of people that have been reached. I don't think we're going to be able to break them down into condition-specific areas, but for that wider population, you'll understand that requires some work,...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you. I'll deal with both points. In terms of Dr Medlicott and the work the local GPs have done around police medics, you're very current, because today I've agreed, and there's a note gone out through our system, that police medics are to be considered as analogous to group 2, because of the direct patient contact work they have, and it's analogous to a range of other activities. So,...
