Vaughan Gething: The advice for returning travellers is being regularly updated. The nature of the evolving situation and the importance of taking a proportionate response means there is specific guidance for travellers returning from specific areas of the world. The latest advice can be accessed on both the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales websites, and the Public Health Wales website is, of course,...
Vaughan Gething: Diolch, Llywydd. Last Friday, Wales confirmed its first case of novel coronavirus, known as COVID-19, which had been contracted whilst the person was in northern Italy. Other countries in the UK continue to report confirmed cases, including the first case of community transmission in England. Across the UK, we are now at a key point in the spread of this virus. We must continue to focus our...
Vaughan Gething: Yes. Look, I recognise completely the second point about wanting to provide guidance and set out some expectations about how businesses behave. But, of course, we don't have specific powers to compel businesses to do so, and this is an active conversation between the four UK Governments as well about wanting to have as consistent an approach as possible on the advice and guidance that we do...
Vaughan Gething: Well, look, I think there are three particular questions there, and perhaps to deal with the issue about British nationals, some of whom may be Welsh residents, and, indeed, Welsh residents who are not British nationals who may be caught up in some of the potential lockdown quarantine isolation that has taken place in a number of parts of Europe where they're seeking to contain the spread of...
Vaughan Gething: The latest public health advice for returning travellers has been updated and is available on the Welsh Government website. Public Health Wales also publish a daily update on their website at 3 p.m. Anyone potentially affected by a change in advice should not attend their GP practice or present at hospital emergency departments, but should call NHS Direct Wales on 0845 46 47 or 111 Wales....
Vaughan Gething: Move formally.
Vaughan Gething: But that, however, is plainly not the end of the matter. The health board, in considering any possible change of this nature, has to be open and transparent about the following matters as a minimum—
Vaughan Gething: I'm going to deal with this, because I've got lots to deal with. The immediate and longer term reasons behind any potential service change; the options that it is considering; and the impact of any of those options, including the impacts of doing nothing. And the impacts of options for change should, of course, include the impact on quality, safety and access in terms of time and geography....
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Llywydd. Before I deal with the wider issues raised by Members in today's debate, I want to start by thanking our staff, because the quality and the compassion of our staff is always the focus for praise when people contact me. It helps to explain why, despite the continuing pressures our NHS faces, we continue to see such extraordinarily high levels of public satisfaction across...
Vaughan Gething: Formally.
Vaughan Gething: I can't give you the exact figures on those two particular areas, but I do know that, with our deliberate investment in community pharmacy, we're seeing more services delivered consistently across community pharmacy. Good examples are, of course, the minor ailments service and the sore throat testing service available. Actually, showing the success of that measure, one of the new intake of...
Vaughan Gething: We know that pressures across the whole health and social care system contribute to challenges at our emergency departments. We continue to work with NHS Wales and partners to manage demand across the system in different ways. This includes providing a broader range of care much closer to home.
Vaughan Gething: It's actually about investing across the whole system, as I'm sure the Member will be aware. This isn't simply about the consultant end of the service, it's actually about getting the right people to the different parts of the service. That's why our reform programme in the primary care end is really important. I did recently discuss these matters with the chief optometric adviser, and these...
Vaughan Gething: Our priority is to provide the people of Wales, including those in west Wales, with health services that deliver the best possible outcomes for patients. We will be guided by the best and most up-to-date clinical evidence and advice to deliver the high-quality care that the people of west Wales deserve.
Vaughan Gething: Well, looking at the broader dentistry workforce, on my last visit to north Wales, I managed to visit the Valley Dental Practice on my way to celebrating the opening of the all-Wales faculty for dental professional training in Bangor University. So, we're investing in north Wales and that is, like I said, the all-Wales faculty, providing training and leadership for that wider group of dental...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, you're right, that final point is an important one: this screening programme saves lives. We've listened to the evidence about who to target within the programme, and also the reality that cervical cancer is the most common type of cancer in women under the age of 35. So, it's about the Government, about Public Health Wales and the campaign they're running, it's also about campaigns that...
Vaughan Gething: There are now more dentists providing NHS care in north Wales and we have increased training for dental hygienists and therapists by 41 per cent. Building on this progress, Health Education and Improvement Wales is reviewing training provision and considering different service models that could improve dentists' workloads and make practices more sustainable.
Vaughan Gething: Public Health Wales are already reviewing access to a range of their screening programmes to try to understand the lowest attending groups and to understand what they can do on the way the programme is provided, but are also taking a real interest in the self-screening trials that are being run in north and east London. That will be especially interesting to see if that does make a difference...
Vaughan Gething: Public Health Wales is working to improve cervical screening uptake, particularly in women from the age of 25 to 30, who are the lowest-attending demographic. I'm pleased to say that uptake has increased with over 30,000 more women screened by the programme in Wales in 2018-19 compared to the previous year.
Vaughan Gething: Well, I think there's a challenge about where there's space and capacity created within our system. That doesn't necessarily mean those beds have to be within a hospital setting. If you look, for example, at winter capacity, it's been increased; there are bed equivalents in social care. We know a large part of the pressures at the front door of an emergency department in any of our district...
