Vaughan Gething: The number and skills of community-based, multi-professional health and care teams should be determined by local population need. We expect health boards, local authorities and other service providers to plan multi-professional teams organised around local communities and delivering co-ordinated care and support.
Vaughan Gething: I'm happy to confirm something of a timeline that may provide some assurance and information for people who are concerned. So, the health board started to undertake the review from January last year. The report was received in September/October. It was due to go to the mental health partnership board in September/October, but that was then pulled as a result of there being apologies when...
Vaughan Gething: The health board recently commissioned an independent review of its psychological therapies provision as part of its own improvement programme. The review findings highlighted examples of positive practice but also made a number of recommendations for urgent improvement, which I expect to be implemented as a matter of priority.
Vaughan Gething: This isn't just a single-shot measure, because actually we do know that, across both local authorities and housing association partners, there is a growing level of awareness about the stress and mental health challenge that people face for a variety of reasons. It's not just about the challenges that many people face, for example, about changes in the benefit system; real anxiety. Money...
Vaughan Gething: Well, as you know, we continue to part-fund the Time to Change Wales campaign. That has actually made a difference in persuading people to talk more openly and to be more understanding about mental health challenges, because almost all of us, if we haven't had a mental health challenge ourselves, know someone who has. This isn't an uncommon challenge and issue. So, it's not just about funding...
Vaughan Gething: And the problem—the problem that all of us face is that, if we can't recruit the right number of permanent consultants to deliver that service, then we won't be able to do that. And it's not simply a matter of saying the south Wales programme is to blame. That doesn't resolve the problem. It would just avoid the problem we face, and, actually, we all know that if you ignore safety concerns...
Vaughan Gething: Well, actually, the health board themselves have made it clear in the statement they made yesterday that they don't have a final answer to what should happen. They do, though, have an unavoidable challenge about the future safety of that service, and that is because the last permanent consultant at the Royal Glamorgan is leaving at the end of March. Now, you can't ignore the reality of what...
Vaughan Gething: It is the policy of the Welsh Government that care should be provided as close to home as possible. And there is a recognition that, for some services, that will mean fewer specialist centres. But, in terms of any particular point about how many emergency departments there could or should be, the Welsh Government doesn't have a magic figure in its mind about the number of departments there...
Vaughan Gething: Well, the decision made about the future of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, which we'll be debating later on today, is one where the health board have a responsibility to make a choice. They do need to listen to and engage with their medical workforce to understand what doctors are saying about the safety of that service. That's a short-term challenge and a longer term one. But they also of...
Vaughan Gething: Well, I'm broadly aware of Kuvan—it's an issue that I've seen in some of the correspondence that I've had—but I'm not so aware that I could give a pledge to determine an outcome. If, however, the manufacturers want to submit for appraisal through our own appraisal process—the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group—they are free to do so. I think the challenge about Jeremy Hunt calling on...
Vaughan Gething: I'm more than happy for the conversation I've offered with officials in the health service to include this specific issue around early milk supply as well. And I think there's something about—. It's a choice for the Member whether she wants to write to me in her capacity as the spokesperson for her party, or in her role as chair of the cross-party group. I'm happy to engage in either way,...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the Member's question, and I think it's positive that we're talking about some of the rarer conditions that exist. There are a number of Members across the Chamber who have taken an interest in this. I know that my colleague to the left, the Trefnydd, during her time as a backbencher, took a particular interest in rare diseases and conditions, and, in fact, on this particular...
Vaughan Gething: Well, I think I've essentially dealt with that in response to Jack Sargeant's question. In the review that is being undertaken to consider alternative locations, the challenge isn't just how many locations people may want to have, it's actually about where the need is, relatively, but also the ability to properly staff those, because if you're going to have adequate minor injuries provision...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, I'm aware. In fact, the Member has taken the opportunity to raise this issue with me in the past and does so again, as he should do. There is current work that is already ongoing within north Wales to review minor injuries provision, as I indicated. Within the last two years, there have been about 20,000 minor injuries attendances at the Wrexham Maelor emergency department—a...
Vaughan Gething: Yes. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has established a pan-health board group to assess the scope of minor injury services across north Wales to ensure standardisation and to reduce demand on busy emergency departments within north Wales.
Vaughan Gething: Evidence of the longer term health effects of e-cigarette use is currently very limited. We recognise some people have found them helpful in helping to stop smoking. However, we have been clear the use of e-cigarettes should not be encouraged for children, young people and non-smokers.
Vaughan Gething: Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board has been reviewing progress of the implementation of the remaining elements of the south Wales programme, involving the future of emergency medicine. The proposed options were discussed at their public board meeting on 30 January.
Vaughan Gething: There were a good deal of comments, but I think there were really only a couple of questions. And, look, just on intervention from the Welsh Government, you can't have it both ways. You can't, on the one hand, say, 'Do more, be more active, get involved', and then, on the other hand, say, 'You're doing too much, get out of the way, let them get on with it'. You can't have it both ways. The...
Vaughan Gething: In my communications with the health board, I continue to stress the importance of making progress against the special measures framework. I've set out objectively and clearly and in public—and it's the same conversation that I have in the direct accountability meetings with the health board—to make real progress on unscheduled care and scheduled care, to continue to make progress on...
Vaughan Gething: Well, there's not much there that I agreed with, and the tone in which Darren Millar with real relish attacks individuals doesn't do him any credit at all. I saw the press release he issued about Simon Dean, and I have to say, to speak in the terms in which he has done about someone with 37 years of NHS experience, who's capable, committed and respected across the national health service, I...
