Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:49 pm on 20 September 2017.
Thank you very much, Llywydd. I’m very pleased to open this debate today on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s report on medical recruitment. As background, earlier this year we debated the committee’s first major report of the fifth Assembly, which focused on winter preparedness for 2016-17. As part of that inquiry, we heard a strong and consistent message that sufficient service capacity and enough staff are vital components in any effective healthcare system. We therefore agreed that, over the course of this Assembly, we would review the sustainability of the health and social care workforce. Our inquiry into medical recruitment in Wales is the first part of this broader review.