Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:23 pm on 9 November 2016.
Thank you for that response. I too would want to acknowledge the way that the health board has responded to what has been said in the report. Unfortunately, it feels as if these reports are appearing almost on a weekly basis these days, and it’s important to note that many of these are historical cases that are emerging and that the board is trying to resolve problems—and they are, of course, in special measures. But, there’s no signal, as far as I can see, that some of these fundamental problems related to staffing—which have been at the heart of many of these cases that have been highlighted—have been resolved. The chief executive, in response to today’s report, said that the urology department was still under huge pressures. The ombudsman says that there needs to be a capacity review. My question therefore is: would you accept that the fundamental factor in many of these cases that we have seen, including this latest one, is the shortage of staff, and that staffing problems, of course, lead to increasing pressures on individuals and services, which in turn unfortunately make it more likely that mistakes are made? Can I ask you, therefore, what your Government is doing to resolve this fundamental issue?