Part of 2. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:46 pm on 4 October 2016.
Well, clearly it’s time that the First Minister takes responsibility for the Welsh NHS. Clearly he wants to talk about England in order to deflect his own failings. So, let me give him the answer to my original question: only 29 per cent of GP surgeries across Wales currently offer appointments after 6 p.m., which is an appalling statistic considering the priority your Government gave to access to GPs in the last Assembly. In the 2011 manifesto, Welsh Labour said it would require GPs to
‘make surgeries more accessible to working people’.
The manifesto also said it would
‘instigate a programme of annual health checks for everyone over the age of 50, led by GPs, practice nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals’.
We’ve heard your Government on countless occasions promise to reform the way people across Wales access everyday health services, yet in 2016 we’ve seen no tangible improvement. Why did you ditch the commitment for face-to-face annual health checks with GPs for everyone over the age of 50?