1. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government consultation 'Services Fit For the Future'? (OAQ51025)

We welcome all contributions to this important consultation. We have already received over 700 responses and these will be used to ensure any future legislative change is the most effective it can be for the people of Wales. The consultation will run until the end of this month.

First Minister, I hope you will join me in recognising the important work that community health councils do across Wales. I’ve had the opportunity of meeting Powys community health council on a number of occasions over the summer recess. And one concern they’ve raised with me is the direction that the Welsh Government White Paper seems to be taking, and particularly an issue that they have raised with me is that the White Paper does not contain any recognition of the complexities of cross-border services, and neither does it refer to the important scrutiny role that our community health councils provide on behalf of patients. You’ll understand, of course, that the vast majority of my constituents access services across the border. What reassurance can you provide to Powys community health council that Welsh patients using services over the border have an effective advocate if future arrangements change?

Well, we want that to continue, of course, and that’s why it’s so important that Powys and other CHCs respond to the consultation, so that we can take forward legislation with the broadest consensus possible.

Community health councils have independence, expertise and powers to intervene on behalf of patients in order to uphold their safety and their dignity. So, can the First Minister explain how taking such functions away from the local level and centralising them nationally, and then watering them down, is going to enhance patient safety and dignity?

We have to remember, of course, that CHCs are not an inspectorate. We have a health inspectorate that does that. They have a role, of course, in terms of acting as patient voice and in many other ways. I can say to Members that there has been a very positive meeting with the CHC board. There’s a lot of common ground in the White Paper itself. There are some issues that will need to be discussed further, but the intention is to strengthen the voice of the patient across the whole of Wales, and we look forward to working with CHCs in order to deliver that.