<p>Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders</p>

Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:50 pm on 31 January 2017.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 1:50, 31 January 2017

The leader of the Welsh Conservatives will no doubt know that these are issues that are raised constantly in the house where I live, and the points are made very strongly, and rightly so. We will listen, of course, to those who suggest different ways in which cancer can be dealt with. We have our cancer delivery plan, of course. We want to ensure that we have the right level of medical staff in Wales; it’s why we have our recruitment campaign that we launched last year. And, of course, it’s hugely important to work with third sector organisations who provide support for people who are diagnosed. The shock of a cancer diagnosis can often be heightened by the need for treatment, hospital stays, the knock in someone’s income that that makes, the knock in the confidence of an individual that that makes, and so it’s a question as well of making sure people have support outside. I’ve seen, and he will have no doubt seen similar examples, people who, because they have received support and because they have kept their spirits in the right place and their mind in the right place, have survived cancer, whereas other people who have lost their spirit don’t survive, and I’ve seen that. So, it’s hugely important that, whilst he makes the point that we have the right level of medical staff in order to deliver the treatments, we’re also able to ensure that people have the most comprehensive and holistic support around them in order to help them fight the disease as well.