Vaughan Gething: ...and the public, realise the size of the challenge. We will need to work together, and each of us—Government, NHS and the public—all have a role to play. The NHS will support the public through education and tools on how to play a greater part in their own care and self-management. But there is no quick fix. It will take years for each UK country to get waiting times back to where they...
Vaughan Gething: ...people that we chose to prioritise the interests of children and young people. We know the harm that would have been caused to their mental health and well-being, as we saw through the summer when schools were closed. That meant we had to make other choices, including the choices on wider closures. That's why all non-essential retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism businesses have...
Vaughan Gething: ...we don't overwhelm our NHS and have unnecessary harm and death being caused. We chose to prioritise the interests of children and young people because we knew the mental health impact that closing schools for a significant period had upon children and young people in the here and now. We also know it has a significant impact on their future prospects, and that is an uneven impact, with...
Vaughan Gething: ...messaging around non-essential retail, but we made choices on significant closure in other parts of the economy because we had prioritised the interests of children and young people in keeping our schools open, and that meant we had to be harder and deeper in other activity to have the sort of impact that we want to. A different choice is now being made in other parts of the UK; Northern...
Vaughan Gething: ...guidance. We need everyone to positively change our behaviour to protect people from the harm of the virus. Shops, hospitality, places of worship and gyms will reopen and all pupils will go back to school next week. From next Monday, people should only meet with their bubble in their own home, and only two households will be able to form a bubble. There'll be no travel restrictions inside...
Vaughan Gething: ...necessary and sensible—what should we be doing? Everyone in Wales is still required to stay at home and work from home wherever possible. We have sought to minimise the disruption to children's education, so primary schools, special schools and the first two years of secondary schools returned as normal yesterday, as will older pupils who need to take exams. Older pupils and further...
Vaughan Gething: ...approach has worked well in those areas, and so I don't think it's a mistake to provide a time limit indication for the length of time this strategic support will be available for. On the medical school, I think that the fact that we're able to take this forward, the fact that we had a much more worked through and credible proposal that was worked up between Bangor University in...
Vaughan Gething: ..., Members will be aware that I issued a written statement informing Members that I will establish a task and finish group to make recommendations to me on a proposal for a north Wales medical school. This support that I'm announcing today will help to bring about transformation and innovation, leading to improved outcomes, patient experience and financial performance year on year. It is a...
Vaughan Gething: ...of worship will be closed except for funerals or wedding ceremonies. We have prioritised children and young people in our choices. In doing so, we've taken account of the TAC advice that keeping schools open will reduce short and long-term harm. However, that means that Ministers have had to act to close most other workplaces and restrict social visiting to reduce contact and break the...
Vaughan Gething: ...time. It will provide an invaluable opportunity to reinforce our already effective test, trace and protect system. So, we're acting now, through the half-term holiday, to minimise the impact on education, with an effective lockdown of two working weeks and three weekends.
Vaughan Gething: ...areas, including the development of an effective symptom awareness tool, evaluation of the follow-up processes after surgery, a multidisciplinary approach to symptom management, development of educational resources, and ongoing monitoring of patient outcomes to understand if we are being more successful. I agree that that is something that should be taken forward by the women's health...
Vaughan Gething: ...practice or community pharmacies—our two main delivery systems for the flu jab for adults and adolescents—and it's important that continues. On the nasal spray for younger children, both pre-school and in early school, we've actually, again, had increased supplies available to us, and that is rolling out within each health board as we speak. So over the coming weeks—. We've had a...
Vaughan Gething: ...the Government and social service directors, and, indeed, the note that the older persons' commissioner, which I think was helpfully provided at the start of this week. On student returns, the education Minister has set out much of the information, as did the First Minister earlier. He'll be aware that there are measures that each university has in place, about not just teaching and...
Vaughan Gething: ...in exceptional circumstances, such as end of life, however this should be discussed with the individual care home before travelling. Children, providing they are well, should continue to go to school. Keeping schools open remains our top priority. This is not a regional lockdown. We have introduced a series of local restrictions in these local authority areas to respond to a specific rise...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments and questions. I think the education Minister has indicated that some of the point of the Estyn inspections was actually about addressing local authority plans to safeguard the interests of learners during this particular time in the pandemic. But I of course take on board the point that the Member makes about whether the balance is the right one, as we're moving...
Vaughan Gething: ...may be needed. But we're considering whether we need all-Wales not just messages, but all-Wales action, and we'll continue to review the case and report openly as soon as we're able to do so. On school testing, this is partly about the challenge in the capacity of lighthouse labs, and it's one of the factors that have meant that lighthouse labs aren't able to cope with the capacity that...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the comments. I don't think I've shifted the Government's position at all on school closures. I've been very, very clear that it's the Government's priority to keep schools open as far as possible, and we will prioritise schools above other sectors. So, we'll close other parts of public services, or indeed the economy, to protect the ability for our schools. There's a direct...
Vaughan Gething: ...that significant scale of harm. That remains the case for this Government, and, indeed, others across the UK. And we've already set out our stall: we'll take other measures, and the closure of schools being the last point, before we take any other action. The very last thing we want to do is to close schools, for reasons that Members understand. The new normal will depend on how...
Vaughan Gething: ..., Merthyr Tydfil and Newport local authorities. This will mean people will not be allowed to enter or leave these four local authority areas without a reasonable excuse, such as travel for work or education. People will only be able to meet people they do not live with outdoors for the time being. They will not be able to form an extended household for the time being. All licensed premises...
Vaughan Gething: ...for that to take place as well. This is difficult, but it's really important for all of us, and I think elected Members will need to set the sort of example we want the public to follow. In schools, we've published clear advice from our technical advisory group, and that has allowed local authorities and schools to already make decisions about face coverings in areas of their schools where...
