5. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on 'Continuing NHS Healthcare: The National Framework for Implementation in Wales', published in June 2014? OAQ51677

Thank you for bringing your copy again. The national framework sets out a process for the NHS, working together with local authority partners, to assess health needs, decide on eligibility for continuing NHS healthcare and commission and provide appropriate care for adults in a consistent manner across Wales. It is currently subject to review.

That's the news I was looking for: the fact that this document is subject to review, which, of course, is for adults, and this document is also subject to review, which is the document for children's continuing care. These two documents together represent the journey that a child may go through from childhood to adulthood, and I get the distinct impression that social services currently don't buy into this document, and this document is the responsibility of health services. What concerns me is that I've heard that the review is a tidying-up exercise. Well, the children's document was 2012 and the adults' document was 2014. I think we need something more fundamental than a tidying-up exercise. I think we need a fundamental review, which will engage with social services, health boards and the children's commissioner to ensure that the weaknesses that are recognised in these documents are engaged with, and reduces the need in future for health boards and social services to call for legal guidance and provide much more certainty than they currently do.

I think that it's a fair point. Following on from the question you asked the First Minister—and I recognise the point you made about social services buy-in—we'll need buy-in from health and social care into both parts, in particular not just around transition, but actually just getting the system right. So, in reviewing that, we do expect partners and other stakeholders to be involved, and I'm also pleased to say that my understanding is that the children's commissioner's office will be engaged in part of that review as well. So, we have the right people together at the right time to look at both documents together, and hopefully then to improve the system that we have. The reality is that there will still be difficult choices to make within continuing healthcare. That's why the journey of integration between health and social care is really important, to try and make it as easy as possible for citizens to navigate through the system and not to have to understand a difficult and complex system themselves. So, all of these things together really should make a difference for the individual.

Cabinet Secretary, as I'm sure you're aware, the auditor general published a follow-up report on this specific issue in 2015 that indicated that some health boards have not demonstrated that they are able to deal in a timely way with the claims they are responsible for, and that some claimants are being dealt with unreasonably. Are you now in a position to provide an update on this particular matter, and can you confirm that all health boards in Wales are now dealing with claimants reasonably and responsibly, so that people can have confidence in the entire system?

I do understand the concern that's being raised, and I'm sure that, as with other Members, I've had constituents approach me in my local Member capacity with some concerns about the process in the past. It is my understanding that there's been a significant improvement in dealing with that backlog of claims, to try and resolve them, and I have received assurance that health boards have improved the position. I would not want to try and set an absolutist position because there is always room for error in any human service. If Members are aware of individual challenges that exist, I would want them to bring them forward to their health boards. If they don't get a response there, they can always write to me. I'm not aware that there are any system-wide pressures, but I am of course always happy to learn from a further review that I'm sure will take place at some point in the future.