1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on rheumatology services in South Wales Central? OAQ51882

Yes. Health boards in Wales are responsible for providing appropriate rheumatology services for their population. These services are provided in line with the directive for arthritis and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, which is currently being refreshed.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that answer. You will know that there's long been a call for specialist paediatric rheumatology services in the region. And, indeed, Wales is the only nation in the UK at the moment that doesn't have a specialist service for paediatric rheumatology. You will also further know that the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee is meeting on 27 March to discuss this issue and the very extensive calls there have been for some form of national centre that can cover most of Wales, perhaps based in Cardiff. I do hope you'll be able to convey to them the cross-party support this call has had in the Assembly, and that this call should be considered with real urgency by WHSSC when they meet later in this month.

Yes, I recognise the Member's consistent interest in the issue, including the debate that he helped to lead in July of last year. I indicated at that time that I was aware that there was a review being undertaken by WHSSC, as well as work on refreshing the directive. I said at the time that I'll take proper account of what the WHSSC review highlights, and I'm happy to repeat that assurance again, but also that the work that is being undertaken on the directive is a genuine example of working—the Government, the health service, and the third sector, and the individual as well. So, we're talking to service users about the directive, and there are a range of different workshops involving the third sector as well. So, I hope that gives some reassurance that we are genuinely looking to both improve on where we are, to look at the evidence, but also to do so in a way that is genuinely co-productive with the individual citizen as well.

I support David Melding's question, but I was also very concerned to hear from Arthritis Care that the only specialist paediatric rheumatoid arthritis specialist in Wales—who is my constituent, Jeremy Camilleri, who works at the University Hospital of Wales—is actually due to retire within the next two years. I have actually met him to discuss this. And it will obviously be quite difficult to replace him, I think. So, is the Cabinet Secretary aware of any plans to plan for his successor?

Yes, that's part of the work that health boards need to undertake, and having a refreshed directive on the care they need to provide is part of that, to understand the care they need to provide and the workforce that will be needed to do that. And I'm also aware of Mr Camilleri's pending retirement in the not-too-distant future. So, there is some urgency about this matter and it can't be continually kicked down the road, but that's why the work that is ongoing is so important. And also what's important is to involve individual people, involved and engaged in the services, both staff and citizens, to understand what an appropriate answer is for the future.

Early inflammatory arthritis clinics are one method of improving access to treatment for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers. What steps are you taking to facilitate the greater provision of these clinics?

Well, as I've indicated, this is an area of service review that's being undertaken. So, the WHSSC review will help us to understand, as well as the broader responsibilities of health boards that I indicated in the first part of my original answer to the question. So, it is about understanding what we need, where responsibility lies, and then seeing that provision actually take place. So, I'm confident that this is an issue that the health service is taking seriously, and it ought to come up with a real and material plan for improvement. Because I recognise, as do other Members, this is an area for further improvement to be made.