6. Will the First Minister make a statement on the treatment of chronic conditions in North Wales? OAQ51648

We are taking a range of actions to prevent, diagnose and treat chronic conditions, both nationally and at health board level. These actions are set out in a suite of strategies and delivery plans.

Thank you. First Minister, most of the community-based services for chronic conditions are still only available on week days, and there is a need to better co-ordinate the work of the different staff groups and teams that care for patients with chronic conditions. What effort is the Welsh Government making to address these problems?

We know that the health board is working hard to meet these pressures and challenges in waiting times in the north, and I know that this is something that the Cabinet Secretary takes a personal interest in. In terms of chronic conditions, I can say, in the BCU area, the number of emergency admissions has fallen and the number of emergency readmissions has also fallen, and that's as a result of actions taken over the past few years across north Wales and, indeed, across Wales as a whole.

First Minister, you'll be aware that there's been some concern expressed over the past few days about death rates in Glan Clwyd's emergency department. The mortality rates in that emergency department are double what they were just a few years ago, and this is a cause of great concern for my constituents, many of whom are served by that hospital in emergency situations. Do you accept that the situation in north Wales is not acceptable? And given that this is a health board that is in special measures, what action is the Welsh Government going to take to investigate why this hospital death rate has doubled in recent years and why it's the worst in Wales? What action are you going to put in place in order to ensure that this situation is resolved urgently?

Well, those A&E figures will be affected heavily by the age of patients attending, and the severity and complexity of their illness on attendance, all of which would impact, of course, on the risk of death. Now, the particular measure reported involved small numbers and it's consequently not age adjusted. Age is likely to be the main reason why this figure seems high, not least reflecting that Conwy has the highest percentage of over 75s in the whole of Wales.

More recent figures from the health board show some reduction in the peak reported. The overall in-hospital mortality rates for Ysbyty Glan Clwyd are in line with the Welsh average, but I can't say, of course, that these figures that he's mentioned are being used by the health board to look in detail at what is contributing to the numbers of deaths in the emergency department and across the site, and we do expect all deaths in hospital to be subject to an individual review to help identify themes to drive improvements in care as well as sharing good practice.