9. 5. Statement: Specialist and Critical Care Centre

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:23 pm on 1 November 2016.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 5:23, 1 November 2016

Thank you for the comments. I can confirm that it isn’t my birthday—not yet, and I do have to wait some significant period of time for that to happen again. In terms of where we are, Members make a series of points about the time and where we are now, but, on the opportunity that this decision represents, the health board has always said that they want a decision made that would unlock their ability to go on to do the next stage of developing the whole healthcare plan: health and care systems working together. Actually, as I said earlier, I think Aneurin Bevan have a good story to tell on their development of primary and community care. They make more moves of services out of hospital and into communities than other parts of Wales have achieved in some parts, in particular in eye care, and this should actually help to see that transfer moved on at that pace. So, I’m still optimistic about the future for all the challenges that we have, but there has got to be, as I said in my statement, a real commitment to delivering at pace the service reform and transformation that is necessary to accompany this decision.