Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Mark. We continue to prioritise support for eating disorder services in line with the recommendations in the 2018 independent review. We have increased investment each year since 2017 to support equitable service improvements, including increasing community treatment and support and early intervention services.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that supplementary, Buffy. As you know, we are developing a national framework for social prescribing in Wales, which is designed to make sure that there is good coverage everywhere really, not just in pockets. There are some brilliant examples of social prescribing, and I'm a huge fan of the Men's Shed movement. We've been very clear that, as we take forward this national...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Buffy. The community development hubs in Rhondda Cynon Taf are good examples of projects embodying social prescribing principles across the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area. We are also taking forward our programme for government commitment to develop an all-Wales framework to support social prescribing.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, James. As I said last week in the committee, we've been piloting the diabetes prevention programme, and what we're doing now is upscaling that across the whole of Wales. But that is not the only measure that we're taking to prevent type 2 diabetes. We've also got the all-Wales weight management pathway, which covers children and adults, and I think we shouldn't forget that,...
Lynne Neagle: Well, in terms of the delivery plan we've been working to, that had to be adapted because of the impact of the pandemic. The pandemic has undoubtedly had an impact on our ability to take action in this area and, as I've already said, has actually worsened the problems with obesity and people being overweight. I set out the figures that we are investing, which are very substantial, in the...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you. Thank you, James, for that question. I haven't seen the study that you have referred to, although of course I'm very well aware of the link between being overweight and increased susceptibility to having serious COVID. But I completely refute your suggestion that our strategy, 'Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales', is just another Welsh Government strategy. We're investing £6.6 million...
Lynne Neagle: This motion fails to acknowledge any of the work over the last few years, but instead looks to assign blame. It fails to support the organisation. It fails to support the hard-working and determined staff on the ground—the same staff we clapped on our doorsteps not so long ago. It fails to recognise improvements in services made in the years since Holden. Most of all, it fails to recognise...
Lynne Neagle: —the response to crisis. However, most people presenting with emotional distress do not need specialist mental health support. Often it is support for wider social and welfare needs that is required, and I am committed to driving a multi-agency and cross-Government approach to this. This motion asks us to deliver a new mental health Act for Wales. We have signed up to the reforms of the...
Lynne Neagle: Some suggest there was some sort of delay between the report being produced and the health board being placed in special measures. However, as we know, the Holden report was one of a number of independent reviews commissioned by the health board in response to concerns about the quality of mental health care in north Wales, which led to its placement in special measures in 2015. There was no...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, for the opportunity to respond to this debate and to place on my record my recognition of the commitment of Betsi Cadwaladr health board to continue to improve mental health services. I'd like to acknowledge the dedication of the staff on the ground in north Wales, who work hard to deliver high-quality and compassionate care for patients who need mental...
Lynne Neagle: Formally.
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that supplementary, Mike. We were clear when the Tan review was published that the changes wouldn't happen overnight, given the range and the breadth of the recommendations, and that's why we've continued to invest such a significant amount of funding in implementing the Tan recommendations year on year. As you've highlighted, the pressure that eating disorder services have...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you for that question, James. I think I've already set out the very significant investment we are putting into eating disorder services to transform those across Wales, with a very strong focus on early intervention. We are investing £3.8 million extra every year, and that has continued since 2017. It has been a really challenging time, because we did see during the pandemic an...
Lynne Neagle: Can I thank Heledd Fychan for that question? As I believe she's aware, health boards now receive, since 2017, an extra £3.8 million to support improvements in ED services and waiting times, and since 2019 funding has been provided to health boards specifically to reconfigure services towards early intervention to work towards achieving the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence...
Lynne Neagle: We continue to prioritise support for eating disorder services in Wales and we've been increasing our investment each year since 2017. This funding aims to support the transformation of services towards early intervention, in line with the recommendations in the 2018 independent review.
Lynne Neagle: In October, I attended a second UK drugs ministerial meeting, alongside my counterparts in the devolved administrations. The meeting was hosted by the Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State in the Home Office and Ministry of Justice, and the purpose of the meeting was to hear from a number of expert speakers and provide an opportunity to share good practice, challenges and lessons learned...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Llywydd. I'd like to thank Jayne Bryant for tabling this debate today and for the points she had made, and also to thank James Evans and Peredur Owen Griffiths for their contributions. Whilst Wales does not have the powers on many aspects of drug legislation and the classification of drugs, tackling the harms associated with substance misuse is a key priority for me, and an area of...
Lynne Neagle: We're also working in partnership with the Wolfson centre at Cardiff University. This is a multi-disciplinary team aiming to understand the causes of adolescent mental health problems and inform new ways of supporting our young people. I'm very pleased that the centre has recruited young people with lived experience of mental health to join its new advisory group and I see this as a huge...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, acting Llywydd, and can I thank Rhun for bringing this debate today and for sharing with us the views of his constituent, Gareth? I very much welcome that, and I'm sure Gareth is very pleased that you've been able to raise his concerns in the Senedd. I'd also like to thank all the other Members who have spoken today. Nothing is a bigger priority for me than protecting, improving...
Lynne Neagle: 'You never get over the loss of your child and families need to know there is long term support in place for to help them through the grieving process.' The ability to support all family members, including bereaved children, is vital. It's so important to recognise too, as 2 Wish does, that the need for support extends to staff members working with families, many of whom struggle with...
