Vaughan Gething: Well, obviously, I don't know the individual circumstances that the Member has referred to, and if she wants me to take an interest, then I'll be happy to do so in the individual matter. I'd be interested in knowing, but I'd need the permission of her and her constituent to do so, and what the response is to the complaints and concerns that have been raised. When it comes to what we do about...
Vaughan Gething: We support a range of activities to drive service improvement, examples of which were set out in my statements of 19 November 2019, 8 October 2019, and 16 July 2019. Our priority is to ensure that people in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area receive health services that deliver the best possible outcomes and experience.
Vaughan Gething: I think it's a very real problem and it certainly hasn't been resolved. In the context of pressure across every single UK nation and the national health service in winter, it's an exacerbation of that because some of the people we're talking about work at the front of the hospital system together with people who work in general practice as well, whether in in-hours or out-of-hours. So it...
Vaughan Gething: There are two points that I think I should make. The first is that, in the thinking that lies behind the pay arrangements, that's a matter of negotiation between the Government, NHS employers, and the recognised trade union, the BMA, so, there's a range of things to take into account with that. Obviously, from the industrial side, you expect they'll want to get the very best possible deal for...
Vaughan Gething: I make decisions every single day in this office. I've made a number of decisions about directing the future of the service, not just the overarching 10-year plan in 'A Healthier Wales' but many more, as the Member knows. I appreciate there's a sense of theatre to this, but every now and again we should try and deal with some of the more realistic elements of what we're dealing with in the...
Vaughan Gething: Well, I don't expect to be having this conversation in 20 years' time; I hope my life will have moved on to a different point by then. But in terms of some of the things that you said, when you describe it as not being challenging, actually, the context in which we deliver health and care is challenging. And it isn't just related to the circulation of flu or norovirus or the weather; it is...
Vaughan Gething: Yes, I think the First Minister properly describes it as a whole-systems issue; it certainly is. That's been reinforced to me on the visits that I've had through the start of this winter period, in this calendar year already. And that's a change from just a few years ago, to go into emergency departments and not to have people saying, 'We need more consultants', but actually saying, 'We need...
Vaughan Gething: I think the points that I made in committee today are still exactly the right ones. It is about recognising not just the plan to have these, but, actually, the work of the staff to lead and deliver that work on the ground in a pilot phase, and that the learning isn't just the outcomes of what that means, but also the staff mix that you need to deliver them successfully. So, the evaluation...
Vaughan Gething: We're not so far behind. I don't think that's a fair reflection at all, with respect, Mr Melding. The reality is that we've set up these pilots, we're learning lots from them, and I expect to make choices across our system within this year, and we'll then be into the implementation phase. I wouldn't quite take at face value every single press release that is issued in England about where they...
Vaughan Gething: Well, as I say, the evaluation due in May of this year will allow us to understand the exact impact, although, obviously, the highlighting in the last couple of days has been a positive initial evaluation. The final evaluation will tell us more about not just those two sites, but then help to inform a national plan and, at that point, I'll be able to update Members on what that looks like,...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the question. The NHS-led cancer implementation group has funded two pilot rapid diagnostic centres. The interim evaluation reports were considered at its meeting in November 2019 and the final evaluation is due to be considered at its meeting in May of this year. I will update Members later in the year on the evaluation and the impact upon NHS planning and delivery.
Vaughan Gething: I am supporting several artificial intelligence projects through the digital priorities investment fund. Artificial intelligence can revolutionise health and care, reinforcing rather than replacing clinical professionals, allowing them to spend more time with patients than paperwork. Using it wisely presents new opportunities to save lives and improve Welsh health and well-being.
Vaughan Gething: All health boards are participating in the dental contract reform programme. Oral health need and risk is being used to plan care, give personalised preventive advice and agree appropriate recall intervals to meet individual needs. This preventive approach supports dental providers to deliver improved access with better patient outcomes.
Vaughan Gething: E-cigarettes are regulated by the EU tobacco products directive that sets out strict minimum safety and quality standards. These are transposed by UK-wide legislation. Separate regulations make it an offence to sell e-cigarettes to under 18s and to purchase e-cigarettes on their behalf.
Vaughan Gething: We continue to work with health boards and Health Education and Improvement Wales on recruitment and retention initiatives. Last year, we recruited record levels of GP trainees.
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you to Members for their additional questions and contributions today. I'm delighted to see that, again, the purpose and the point of the Bill still enjoys support across the Chamber. To deal with the points raised by Helen Mary Jones and Angela Burns, I want to give a proper assurance that, in terms of how to measure success—well, success...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm happy to move the motion before the Assembly today for Stage 4 of the National Health Service (Indemnities) (Wales) Bill that I laid on 14 October 2019. Since the Bill was laid, it has progressed successfully through stages in the Senedd's legislation process, albeit on a truncated timetable, we have discussed both at committee and in here. I'm most...
Vaughan Gething: That will be measured against the evaluation process we have, and it goes back to the questions that I've answered from Angela Burns and Helen Mary Jones, and it's then about, well, is it then at a point where it can be scaled? Because part of our challenge is that each of us within our own constituencies or regions could point to things that we think work really well in a local areas, but we...
Vaughan Gething: I think there are some central challenges there. In terms of the progress, I was actually really impressed by how the first three or four regional partnership boards managed to agree their proposals in the time that it took to agree them. In particular, I can honestly say that I thought that north Wales, given the range of challenges that they're facing, agreed an approach very quickly. I...
Vaughan Gething: Thank you for the list of questions. In terms of the £11 million in the second stage, as I tried to indicate in my statement already, I will be targeting that in the sense that one regional partnership board area will have a larger sum than others, apart from the way that the funding formula works, which already takes in the variety of points about need and population. So, we will then...
