Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I look forward to reviewing the refreshed delivery plans when they’re published. I note your comments that survival rates for many health conditions are improving and, whilst this is true, we still have much more work to do.

I welcome the work that the stroke implementation group will be undertaking with regard to atrial fibrillation, and hope that the projected reduction in the number of strokes can be achieved, with the emphasis on prevention and rehabilitation. Stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer, and more men than prostate and testicular cancer combined. Thankfully, more and more people are now surviving stroke, but this brings its own challenges. We now have nearly 65,000 people living with the long-term effects of stroke here in Wales. Stroke is the largest single cause of complex disability, and over half of all stroke survivors are left with a disability. We welcome the priority being given by the implementation groups to the development of rehabilitation services and the funding for community neuro-rehabilitation services also. Cabinet Secretary, I note the successful trial of rehabilitation services in Cardiff and the Vale and the intention to share the learning with other health boards. But, surely, if the trial was successful, it should be rolled out across Wales, as opposed to just sharing the learning.

We welcome the improvements in cardiac care, and look forward to both the delivery plans and details of how the forthcoming public health Bill plans to tackle the biggest contributors to heart disease.

Finally, Cabinet Secretary, we welcome the reviewing of cancer services. On cancer care, we have a very long way to go. Wales has the poorest survival-of-cancer rates in Europe and, while we have made some progress, we haven’t made enough. In order to scrutinise effectively, the collation of data is of paramount importance. Therefore, we need data to produce an audit trail of both our successes and areas of failure. Only by capitalising on past experience can we truly improve the services we deliver. Traditional cancer care treatments are not always effective and, to improve survival rates, we must consider alternate treatment regimes. Will the cancer delivery plan include a commitment to improve access to stratified medicines in Wales? One of the biggest barriers to survival is the lack of early diagnosis. How will the Welsh Government speed up access to diagnostics, and will the Welsh Government be investing in improved IT infrastructure to speed up the sharing of test data in order to reduce, as far as is possible, the diagnosis pathway?

Once again, Cabinet Secretary, thank you for your statement, and we look forward to working with you to deliver healthcare improvement over the course of this Assembly. I would also like to thank the various implementation groups for the hard work they are doing to improve survival rates from major conditions in Wales. Thank you.