Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport – in the Senedd at 2:39 pm on 29 March 2017.
This is why it’s a priority for discussion with chairs in their appraisal process between myself, as the relevant Cabinet Secretary, and chairs of health boards. So, there is an understanding that we want to see further improvement. Some of this, in terms of absence management, is understanding the reasons why people are ill and out of work: sometimes that is about work and sometimes those are reasons outside work. But it’s about what appropriate support is required to help some return to the workplace. That’s why we place importance on occupational health services. For example, we’ve actually expanded, alongside the British Medical Association, the occupational health service for GPs as well, to think about how that works for people employed in primary care too. So, this was also raised with me by Unison, when I recently met them in terms of the campaigning work that they’re doing with their members. I understand perfectly why any trade union would want to raise the issue with me in that conversation. So, it is an issue that we understand; it is an issue where we want to see further improvement because, ultimately, it’s better for the individual member of staff, better for the service that they work in and ultimately for the service that we fund and provide.