Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:36 pm on 20 September 2017.
So, a new people’s voice body for health and care requires primary legislation. I really think, though, that it will be independent, it will have a complaints advocacy as part of its central functions as the White Paper sets out, and, of course, I expect that local and regional participation in the new body and, yes, it will be able to deal with cross-border issues. And I note what the chair of the—[Interruption.] I won’t have time, I need to finish. The open letter sent to party leaders by the chair of the CHC board sets out what they consider the public would like to see in a citizen voice body, and I agree with her statement that the end of the consultation should be the beginning of this process, and not the end. I know that people can be fearful of change, and I realise that some concerns have been expressed, but I’m clear that an effective mechanism to ensure the citizen voice is represented is a key part, and a part of the success of the overall new arrangements that we are proposing. We will, of course, look to build on experiences in England, Scotland and other places in deciding how to move forward. But there is no suggestion, and there never has been, that we would simply replicate the Scottish Health Council model. We do want to think about what is working and what is not working in other parts of the UK and to generally learn from that and to build on good practice. So, the White Paper should be seen for what it is: an opportunity to strengthen the voice of citizens across a progressively integrating health and social care service, and to develop a model that works for Wales in the here and now and in the future.