Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services — Postponed from 8 November – in the Senedd at 2:31 pm on 15 November 2017.
Well, again, I thank you for that further question. And it is a real issue, and it's an issue that we're investing both expertise and competence but also funding in, and working with health boards and local authorities on the ground. We have seen an increase in the August period, and it's an increase that we hadn't seen in the previous 18 months. And two of those areas were ABMU—Abertawe Bro Morgannwg—and also Hywel Dda. So, we're directly supporting local authorities in their efforts to secure additional service capacity, and to make, I have to say, more effective use of the provision that is already available. And part of this is joined-up working in those regions.
We do expect health boards and local authorities to continue to work in close collaboration, making the best possible use of the intermediate care funding that we've made available, to ensure that improvement is sustained, and that capacity issues are addressed ahead of, as we all know, the forthcoming season of winter pressures. There is some optimism here, however, because we do have some areas that are doing well in this area of delayed transfers. So, in the Powys health board region, for example, delayed transfers of care continue to be lower than historical levels, and there have been issues before, despite periodic fluctuation. And the latest published figures, in September, show a 31 per cent reduction in delays in comparison with the previous months. So, it does show, within the existing capacity on the ground, things can be made to work, but it takes some joined-up thinking.