8. Welsh Conservatives Debate: The health and social care workforce

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:06 pm on 20 June 2018.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 6:06, 20 June 2018

No, I won't take an intervention from the grinning Member opposite, who has been laughing through this debate about choices that he helped champion. In three successive general elections, you championed austerity. [Interruption.] Here in Wales, we have made choices to put more money into our national health service, more money per head, a higher rate of growth than in England, and you dare to say that you are the party of the national health service. Nobody buys it, not even people in your own group.

I am a happy to support both of the Plaid Cymru amendments. Firstly, the amendment on medical education in north Wales, as I've given that commitment on a number of occasions. Secondly, of course, the 10-year workforce plan will contain actions to increase the number of Welsh-language healthcare professionals. Now, we, of course, want to train and retain more of our staff. We invest record amounts in both medical and non-medical staff training. In the eight years of austerity we have been subjected to, the NHS is the only public service to increase its staff, with a continuing appetite and demand for more. We still face real risk to recruitment from EU nationals in particular to our NHS, and the reduction of EU nurses entering the Nursing and Midwifery Council register is a matter of real concern to all of us. It highlights how the terms of a Brexit deal will be crucial to the future of our health service workforce.

I do, though, want to welcome the change of heart and change of approach from the UK Government on tier 2 visas for doctors and nurses. The Welsh Government has consistently called for change, together with virtually every organisation representing health and care workers. I hope for similar common sense in our approach to Brexit and NHS staff.

I also want to mention the fact that, before we celebrate NHS70, we will, of course, as Julie James highlighted this week, be celebrating Windrush 70—a generation that helped to rebuild Britain, a generation that helped to create our national health service and staff our social care system, and a generation that has been poorly rewarded. We look for action and justice to be delivered for the Windrush generation, and for promises to be delivered upon. At this point in time, we cannot have confidence they have been.

As the NHS marks its seventieth year, we know that it is an NHS that needs to transform to meet the needs and demands of today, but one thing will remain, as it always has over the past 70 years: the NHS will continue to be delivered by passionate, committed and talented people. We owe it to each and every one of them, and the wider population of Wales, to support and value them and their colleagues in social care in the best way possible. I urge Members to vote for the Government amendment and support us in delivering our unified vision for health and social care here in Wales.