Thank you, Llywydd.

A statement on the NHS workforce is, of course, timely, particularly given the extraordinary weather experience over the last week. I am grateful for the opportunity to join the First Minister in placing on record my gratitude and appreciation for the response of public service workers across local government, the national health service, emergency services, the third sector, and, of course, the wider public. The extraordinary commitment shown by NHS staff that we have all seen in the past few days is just another example of why they are held in such high regard by this Government and, of course, the people of Wales.

I want to highlight the work already under way to support, develop and expand the workforce, both now and in the future. We regularly discuss the recruitment challenges facing the national health services. The challenges are real, and, of course, I expect scrutiny. However, it is an undeniable fact that, despite eight years of austerity at the hands of the UK Government, tough financial choices made by this Welsh Government have seen the NHS workforce grow to record levels. Official statistics show that we have a record number of total staff working in NHS Wales. We have record numbers of qualified nurses and midwives, hospital consultants, and ambulance staff.

And this Government continues to take positive action, through our 'Train. Work. Live.' initiative, to support NHS organisations to train and recruit the workforce that they and we need. Already our return on investment has been significant, particularly in terms of the number of doctors choosing Wales to undertake their GP training. This May, I will be in Belfast for the launch of year two of the nurse 'Train. Work. Live.' campaign. And, later in the summer, 'Train. Work. Live.' will expand to include allied health professionals, with a focus on increasing the mix of healthcare professionals in primary care.

As well as recruitment initiatives, the continued investment that this Government has chosen to make in the education and training of the current and future NHS workforce is critical. Members will know that the budget for non-medical healthcare professionals has grown year on year. In December last year, I announced a £107 million package of support for 2018-19, and that is a £12 million increase on the year before.

And this continued investment during the past five years means that there has been a sustained increase in training places in Wales. This includes, over that time, 68 per cent more nurses in training, health visitor training places have more than doubled, an increase of 42 per cent in midwifery training places, 51 per cent extra occupational therapy training places, and an increase of 53 per cent in physiotherapy training places. We have invested and will continue to invest in training for healthcare scientists, dental hygienists and therapists, and in key emerging areas like training in genetics.

The role of the paramedic is changing, and will continue to evolve within a wide variety of care settings. There will continue to be a greater emphasis on critical decision making, treatment and management, rather than the historic focus on transporting patients to accident and emergency. And we are supporting those changes in the paramedics' role, and, since 2014, the number of paramedic training places available in Wales has increased by 139 per cent.

Unlike some other parts of the UK, this Welsh Government recognises how important it is to support our healthcare students during their study. That's why we have kept the NHS bursary. Last year, I announced that we would consult on future plans for the longer term financial support for healthcare students. That consultation will begin in the coming weeks, and I look forward to receiving a wide range of views from organisations and individuals to help inform future arrangements on a long-term basis.

As Members will of course be aware, there has been significant interest in the level of medical student places available in Wales. And in north Wales the debate around a new medical school has, of course, continued. And I have made the Government’s position clear. Our view is that Bangor University, working with Cardiff and Swansea medical schools, can and will deliver increased opportunities for medical education and training in north Wales. I know there has been a significant amount of work already undertaken to inform proposals for the future. 

I hope to be in a position to say more about those proposals in the coming weeks. But I want to make sure that we have a plan that is both deliverable and sustainable, and a plan that delivers the ability for students to undertake and complete their medical degree programmes in north Wales. While much of the focus has been on north Wales, many of the challenges we face in the north are also present in other parts of the country, particularly in west Wales, and I want to ensure that we also address those as part of a coherent plan for Wales. 

Despite the record staff figures, we know that demand continues to grow. That is part of the reason for our need to reform health and care services. We need more staff in certain professions and specialties, but we know that is only part of the answer. The fact that the challenges we currently face are taking place within the context of record numbers of staff demonstrates this. We owe it not only to the citizens of Wales, but to our NHS workforce too, to do this. We need to create a system that allows them to succeed in delivering the best possible care. That is why, when discussing our workforce, we cannot separate it from real and meaningful reform, including, of course, the need for new models of care that were highlighted in the parliamentary review. 

Part of the system reform we're committed to, of course, specifically in relation to the workforce, is the establishment of Health Education and Improvement Wales. This is a major and significant change. It demonstrates this Government’s commitment to a new, multidisciplinary approach to our health services. HEIW is not simply a structural change. It is a new, strategic approach to the long-term future of the health workforce. I was pleased that the recent parliamentary review recognised, in a number of significant ways, how the creation of HEIW could be harnessed to deliver the vision of seamless health and care in Wales. The review also identified the opportunity for HEIW and Social Care Wales to lead the way for partnership across the health and social care system. I expect those two bodies to be working as one across many of the challenges that will face our care workforce in the years ahead.

Like all of the public sector workforce, staff in NHS Wales have suffered at the hands of UK Government austerity. That is why we have repeatedly called on the UK Government to end the cap on public sector pay and give workers across the UK a much deserved pay rise, and it remains our view that that pay rise must be fully funded by the UK Government. One of the strengths in Wales is our commitment to social partnership and collaboration between the Welsh Government, the NHS and trade unions. This strength is something we will build on in moving forward once we have received the pay review body's recommendations in May to agree on a fair and affordable pay award.

Our NHS looks forward to its seventieth birthday this year. It remains a truly great achievement of political will and community values to create and sustain our national health service. The NHS that we celebrate is, of course, the story of our staff: people drawn from all communities and all corners of the globe. I am tremendously proud of the people who make up our national health service and I look forward to continuing to serve them as we redesign the future for health here in Wales.