Carwyn Jones: Well, as I said, the chair of the health board has confirmed that she will establish a reference group with representatives invited across political parties, and elected members at county level, to regularly update them on transformation work. That meeting will take place on a monthly basis, and invitations will be sent to all AMs, Members of Parliament and elected council members.
Carwyn Jones: Well, through their delivery they have to ensure, of course, a safe and sustainable service in their areas, and I believe that they do that. There will occasionally be difficult decisions that they will have to take; we know that. What is hugely important, though, is that we are able to measure them in terms of their public engagement. There have been problems in the past around this, and not...
Carwyn Jones: Was it FIT, the faecal immunochemical test, he mentioned?
Carwyn Jones: We recently agreed to implement a more sensitive and user-friendly testing regime for bowel cancer screening in Wales. It's a key action within the revised cancer delivery plan. The roll-out of FIT within the bowel screening programme in Wales is planned for January 2019 and it's hoped it'll be more user-friendly and will improve uptake. That new test is expected to result in an increased...
Carwyn Jones: NHS bodies need to ensure that they have robust governance in place and act in a manner that upholds the values set for the Welsh public sector.
Carwyn Jones: We have a well-established national population bowel screening programme in Wales, with nearly 147,000 men and women screened during 2016-17. We continually look for ways to increase uptake and recently announced the introduction of better and more user-friendly testing, which will be rolled out from January 2019.
Carwyn Jones: There was an event held on 22 January, I understand, which an official attended from Welsh Government. Now, we're more than happy to actively participate in this initiative. We know that joint working will be beneficial for Wales and our regions, and I'm sure there will be more events such as this in which we will continue to contribute. But, of course, what is hugely important is this is not...
Carwyn Jones: His idea of a privilege is different to mine, but I can say this to him: the one thing we will not do is say that, somehow, there is no difficulty with Brexit, no matter how it happens, because we know that the economy of Islwyn and the whole of the Valleys would be affected adversely by a hard Brexit. We are working, of course, through the economic action plan, to develop regeneration and...
Carwyn Jones: The 'Prosperity for All' national strategy and economic action plan set out the actions we're taking to improve the economy and business environment across Wales.
Carwyn Jones: Through our work on the ministerial taskforce for the Valleys, and, of course, through the development of the metro, we are looking to support change, maximise opportunities and improve economic outcomes in the Valleys. And we will place a particular emphasis on maximising benefits from new initiatives, such as the metro and such as city regions and city deals, to support those who commute...
Carwyn Jones: We are investing in developing the skills of our people, improving our infrastructure and supporting a competitive business environment.
Carwyn Jones: Well, those A&E figures will be affected heavily by the age of patients attending, and the severity and complexity of their illness on attendance, all of which would impact, of course, on the risk of death. Now, the particular measure reported involved small numbers and it's consequently not age adjusted. Age is likely to be the main reason why this figure seems high, not least reflecting...
Carwyn Jones: We know that the health board is working hard to meet these pressures and challenges in waiting times in the north, and I know that this is something that the Cabinet Secretary takes a personal interest in. In terms of chronic conditions, I can say, in the BCU area, the number of emergency admissions has fallen and the number of emergency readmissions has also fallen, and that's as a result...
Carwyn Jones: A package of funding—£20 million—has been put in place to support the Act itself and all that is associated with the Act. It includes, for example, developing the workforce, ensuring that people in the workplace have the skills in order to work effectively within the new system, and also, of course, to ensure that things improve for the learners. So, the funding is in place, and we...
Carwyn Jones: We are taking a range of actions to prevent, diagnose and treat chronic conditions, both nationally and at health board level. These actions are set out in a suite of strategies and delivery plans.
Carwyn Jones: I'm disappointed to hear the decision to close Afasic Cymru. I do understand that Afasic, a UK-based charity, will still offer advice and support to families in Wales. It is, of course, the responsibility of health boards to ensure they provide adequate access to therapy services, including speech, language and communication therapy, and speech and language therapy is provided to all children...
Carwyn Jones: I think it's hugely unfair to suggest that the Cabinet Secretary is not concerned—he is somebody who is passionate about the health service—and that certainly is not the impression he gives to the public, of that I am sure. I am aware that the Member has written to the chief executive of the health board with a number of concerns about the provision of mental health services in north...
Carwyn Jones: Local authorities are responsible for providing a suitable education for all children and young people, including those with additional learning needs. By reforming the current system, we want to transform expectations, experiences and outcomes for children and young people with additional learning needs.
Carwyn Jones: Financial pressures are not the issue here, it's a question of making sure that a service is sustainable and that they can attract the right staff and the right level of staff. That is what guides the guidance that we give to the health boards; mainly that they want to put in place a safe and sustainable service.
Carwyn Jones: Yes. Improving mental health services across the whole of Wales continues to be a priority for the Welsh Government and we have committed a further £40 million specifically for mental health services over the next two years.
