Like others, I welcome the interim report and the opportunity to speak on the hugely important issues that are identified in it. I do hope that the final report of this parliamentary review provides a basis for this whole Assembly to find some fresh political consensus that helps us to deliver the continuing changes that we need to make in order to deliver the ever-improving health and social care across Wales in the future. It’s what people will expect of us and I include in that those staff who are central to delivering those vital services on a daily basis for 365 days of the year.

In spite of the challenges that we face, and many of them are described in the interim report, there are still so many experts who acknowledge that our NHS remains the shining example of the best healthcare system in the world. But I acknowledge that sections of this important review do highlight the significant shifts that still need to be made in the ways that we deliver services, in the places that we deliver services, and in preparing and leading staff to make those changes.

So, I wanted to direct my specific comments today on the issues of workforce planning, on skills gaps, on staff engagement in the future of these services. I’m pleased that the interim report’s recognised the importance of effective workforce planning, interdisciplinary training, and engagement with staff, because I know from personal experience that we have made some progress in these areas but we still have a long way to go, and I know how long these changes can take to bed in. It’s only when some real values on social partnership working are adopted that we see people embrace an agenda for change and actually welcome the opportunity to become part of the solution.

As I’ve said, change takes time. It takes sensitive leadership, and it requires effective workforce planning to deliver those solutions. It also remains a constant case of work in progress, because, by the very nature of the demands on these services, it means ongoing change across all the disciplines and all the service areas in both health and social services will be required in the years ahead.

So, the recognition in this report of a need for stronger strategic and integrated workforce planning is very welcome. It will also become increasingly necessary as technological change drives the need for the reskilling of the workforce and presents opportunities for the upskilling of staff that will also help to deliver the integration process that we wish to see.

In making my second point, I would echo the comments of the Cabinet Secretary on the need for more consensus as we face some of these fundamental challenges. So, in the spirit of constructive debate, I will for now put to one side the debate around austerity budgets that have marked the last seven years. But all of us as AMs, taxpayers, and the users of these services, need to reflect on how we can best meet the service demands of the future and whether that is to overcome staff and skills shortages, to face the shortages that many colleagues raise about services in our rural communities, or to meet the complex health and care demands in many Valleys communities, which I am more than familiar with.

We must ask ourselves how will we overcome these challenges if we find, for example, that staff in social services can find better paid and probably less demanding employment, for example, in the local retail sector. So, I continue to advocate that ongoing engagement with staff and their trade unions is vital to address these challenges.

The final point I want to make today is about the information exchange and best practice. I can only imagine, Cabinet Secretary, that it must drive you just a little bit mad when you see in these reports examples of best practice that we don’t seem to learn from. In spite of all the technological changes, and in spite of the speed at which news can travel, it remains frustrating that we cannot get best practice adopted quickly across our services. That’s not a new thing, but I do hope that we can look to this review to help speed up that process in Wales. Of course, we already know about a number of the issues that were identified in the interim report, and they were clearly also a feature in the final report at the end of the year. So, I hope we continue pushing forward and strengthening those actions we are already taking in order to secure progress in these important matters and not let the grass grow under our feet in those areas where we know that we can take action now.