Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:58 pm on 31 January 2017.
Can I first of all thank the Minister? I think, a fortnight ago, I asked her for a debate on tidal power, and with particular reference to the Hendry review and the Swansea lagoon. That debate is coming forward in Government time, so I’d like to thank the Government for listening there. I think it will, and I hope, allow the whole Assembly to unite in support of that proposal and then really put pressure on the UK Government to come forward with a positive decision—positive for energy in Wales, but positive for job creation and skills as well. I hope that I’ll be as successful with my request today, however I doubt it. But I would like to support the request that’s already been made around a statement on the closure of the Llandrindod Wells minor injuries unit overnight just in February. I actually want to use that as a request to have a wider policy statement from the Welsh Government about the use of minor injuries units, because there’s a lot of confusion out there amongst people about what minor injuries units are for. We have a proposal in Tenby for a walk-in service, and I don’t know what the difference is between a walk-in service and a minor injuries unit, what’s the difference between something that’s associated with the hospital and simply where the GP is present. And it’s this confusion that actually drives people to ignore the Choose Well message from the Welsh Government and to simply go to A&E. I suggest that the reason that so many people present in A&E with, perhaps, injuries that could be dealt with in a different context is they don’t know if the units are open, they don’t know if they deal with the condition they have and they don’t self-diagnose in that sense. They need a consistent and reliable service that they can depend upon. Closing overnight in February—I understand why it’s happening, but that doesn’t help get that message across. The delay in Tenby on establishing that walk-in service after the minor injuries unit closed suddenly, overnight, for emergency reasons and was never reinstated, again, does not build that public confidence.
So, I think a statement from the Welsh Government, which, before the last election was criticising some parties here—both my party and the Conservatives, actually—for talking about minor injuries units and saying they undermined A&E—. There’s a confusion in Welsh Government itself about the relationship between A&E, minor injuries units and late opening, if you like, for GPs. Let’s have a consistent message. Surely a statement, a policy statement, or even a debate around these things would help clarify some of these messages.