Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:40 pm on 23 January 2018.
I think we need to focus not just on the issue of beds, but on the issue of getting people out of hospital as quickly as possible. That means that, if you look at delayed transfers of care, our figures are greatly improved month on month, and greatly improved from last year. We don't want people staying in hospital for longer than they have to.
But, of course, the other point that we have to understand is that we need an NHS that's sustainable. All parties signed up to that as part of the parliamentary review. It's massively important that, yes, of course, we agree with the principle that people should be treated as close to home as possible, but we also need to make sure that services are sustainable in the future. Now, the proposals that have been put forward by Hywel Dda are for Hywel Dda to consider at this stage, to engage in full public consultation. It's true to say that there may come a point when there will need to be a decision by Government, but that point has not yet been reached.