5. What support is the Welsh Government providing to Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board following the decision to escalate its status to 'targeted intervention'? OAQ(5)0169(FM)

We are working closely with the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board. Support will be directed by the Welsh Government in agreement with the health board as to what assistance it requires.

Thank you for that response, First Minister. Further to that, may I ask whether you are confident that you have the capacity within your department in the Assembly to provide the necessary support to this health board in Swansea, given that other health boards are also under special measures?

Only one health board is under special measures, namely Betsi Cadwaladr. We are most confident about the way in which we have ensured that Betsi Cadwaladr can turn around. So, what we have targeted in terms of the other health boards will ensure that we see improvements to those, in order to avoid, of course, any situation where they would have to go in the same direction as Betsi Cadwaladr.

Before I start, can I declare an interest in that my wife’s a radiographer in ABMU, but I won’t discuss the warmth or the coldness of her hands? First Minister, ABMU’s in targeted intervention because of cancer services and unscheduled care. Both parts of those rely upon diagnostic services. We have seen problems with diagnostic services in the past, with waiting lists being perhaps of a length that was unacceptable to everybody, but will you join me in congratulating ABMU and the staff, in particular, who have actually seen those waiting lists come down, and therefore we’ve seen diagnostics getting better in ABMU?

Yes, I will, and at the end of July there was a reduction of 78 per cent in the number of people waiting over eight weeks for one of the specified diagnostic tests, compared to July 2015.

First Minister, the health board’s integrated performance report of July 2014 states, and I quote, that

‘The Health Board continues to experience significant challenges in the delivery of the Urgent Suspected Cancer referral target in particular.’

At that time, they were reaching 86 per cent of the target rather than the 95 per cent that the Government was looking for. Notwithstanding the point made by David Rees now, being that those issues were reported two years ago, what support did you give ABMU at that time? What is different about the support that you’re giving them now, and if it was needed two years ago, why wasn’t it given then?

Well, if you look at the figures, if we look at the 62-day performance for cancer, more people are starting their treatment within the target time of the 62-day pathway for cancer. The same thing applies to the 31-day pathway—80.4 per cent higher. If we look at 12-hour waits in A&E last year, those figures have reduced by 63 per cent since March of this year. So, we are seeing great differences in terms of not just diagnostics, but in terms of cancer treatment, and indeed in terms of A&E performance.

First Minister, the reason ABMU are to receive targeted intervention is due to poor performance in unscheduled cancer care. The most recent figures show that just 83 per cent of patients diagnosed via the urgent suspected-cancer route start treatment within 62 days. We all know that timely treatment and intervention reduces the risk that the cancer will spread and increases the chances of survival. What support is the Welsh Government giving to ABMU to enable them to eliminate delays in treatment and to improve the cancer survival rates in my region?

I think I’ve already answered that question when I gave the statistics in terms of the 62-day performance and the 31-day performance. Sometimes, of course, clinicians tell me that it’s not that easy to start treatment within 62 days because of the nature of the cancer itself, its position in the body and, indeed, the need to look very carefully at having the most targeted treatment for the individual. If you’re an individual with cancer, of course, well, yes, you need to have certainty as quickly as possible. I understand that—the very human need. That’s why, of course, we’re seeing the improvements in the performance of ABMU in that field.