I’d like to thank the Welsh Conservatives for bringing forward this motion today. The Welsh Government’s national strategy aims to improve the health and well-being of Wales. Like the Welsh Conservatives, I am disappointed there are no clear, measurable targets for the health service. I welcome the ambition behind the Welsh Government’s strategy, but without clear, measurable outcomes, we are in danger of having yet another ambitious strategy that fails to deliver.

I also welcome the fact that the strategy highlights the need for a seamless experience when it comes to health and care. At the moment, this is sadly lacking. I am, as I have stated last week, dealing with an 83-year-old constituent who was left to fend for himself following a triple heart bypass. He was discharged from hospital without any care package from social services being in place. A frail elderly gentleman, totally abandoned and let down by the statutory services. There was no-one to ensure that even his most basic needs were met, and without friends and former work colleagues, this man would have been without food and drink, unable to collect his pension and unable to pay his bills. This should not be happening in 2017. This man should not have had to phone around begging for help. The system did let him down.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case, and we have seen examples across Wales of people let down by the health and social care system. In the cross-party group on dementia yesterday, people with dementia and those caring for people with dementia outlined the difficulty in getting support and respite care. The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 was supposed to address these shortcomings, but we have 22 local authorities, all interpreting the Act differently. Despite being entitled to a carer’s assessment, many carers have not had one, despite repeatedly asking for this assessment. We heard that some social services departments simply ask, in front of the person being cared for, if the carer is coping. Of course, the carer is going to say they are coping in those circumstances. This merely highlights the issue with the strategies: the ambitious plans don’t always get delivered.

Time and time again we have seen enormous variation in delivery of health and social care from area to area—some good, some not so good. Services vary between the seven local health boards and the 22 local authorities. How can we be sure that this strategy will be any different, as there are no targets and no measurable outcomes? How can we possibly hope to deliver equitable healthcare to every person in Wales, regardless of where they live, irrespective of their age or gender, if we are to have seven different health boards and 22 social services departments all delivering and interpreting health and care differently?

We are supposed to have a national health service, but in reality, the quality of your care depends upon your postcode. If the Welsh Government truly wish to improve health and well-being in Wales to achieve prosperity for all, they will have to do better than this strategy. The people of Wales deserve much better than warm words. They’ve had those for the last 18 years. It’s time for action and, unfortunately, the national strategy promises more of the same. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr.