<p>Workforce Planning</p>

Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:02 pm on 26 September 2017.

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Photo of Mr Simon Thomas Mr Simon Thomas Plaid Cymru 2:02, 26 September 2017

(Translated)

Thank you, First Minister. May I first of all put on record my thanks to the staff of Bronglais hospital who cared for my son over the past fortnight in the accident and emergency department? I’m very grateful and I very much appreciate the work that the staff do at the Hywel Dda health board. But, we must acknowledge—and the Minister has acknowledged to me in answering a question over the summer—that there are problems in some areas, and paediatrics particularly. Doctor Vas Falcao, who just retired last year from Withybush hospital, has said that the paediatric service in the west is about to fail because of recruitment problems. We have six vacant posts for paediatric consultants at the moment at Withybush hospital, and last year’s recruitment campaign by Bronglais failed to recruit a single new consultant. So, we must ask whether you will take definite, specific steps to ensure better recruitment for staff in west Wales.