4. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: Services Fit for the Future White Paper

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:26 pm on 27 February 2018.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 4:26, 27 February 2018

Thank you for the focused question around our colleagues in the therapist end of health and social care. Many of these roles can either be employed within a health board or in local government, and that's part of their value. I think therapists are real can-do practitioners as well; they're often at the heart of making things work regardless of the institutional barriers—a bit about that point about culture and the way in which people work. And there was lots of comment about the particular roles and whether there should continue to be a core executive membership that we prescribe, broadly, as we do now, or whether, in fact, we want to have a smaller number of core roles and allow more flexibility for boards to have executive-level leads. That's some of the work that we're going to continue to consider and I know that therapists themselves are particularly keen to see an executive-level role that combines, at the moment, therapy and health sciences. So, that's something I'm actively considering, but what I certainly won't ever want to lose is sight of the fact that our therapists are a really important part of making the healthcare services work, because people who need to move through different parts of our system—often a therapist will be a really important part of doing that. You mentioned rehabilitation—prehabilitation as well, getting people ready for healthcare interventions, as well as the roles that, for example, occupational therapists take and undertake within the health service, but also within local government as well.

I just want to use this opportunity to welcome in the Chamber Ruth Crowder, formerly of the college of occupational therapists in Wales, who is now the chief therapies adviser to the Welsh Government. So, there's real value placed on that within the Government and we'll continue to have a conversation to make sure that continues to be the case in the way in which we organise and deliver health and care services across Wales.