Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:44 pm on 26 June 2018.
I've already said in answers to other questions that we are reviewing the workforce data here because we want to more easily understand the number of European Union nationals who work in the social care workforce here. But you and I will know, if you visit a range of residential care facilities in particular, you will meet people from across the globe, and lots of European Union nationals are undertaking that. That's why we're undertaking the research to understand and have a more accurate picture. Indeed, when it comes to the field of research, we are talking about health and social care research as well. So, that knowledge is shared because we want to see a developing area of social care research.
At present, Health and Care Research Wales is deliberately going and choosing to look at social care priorities, and as you and I both know, from a health and social care point of view, a range of these challenges don't neatly recognise the boundaries that we currently draw in the way that health and social care work. So, in almost all of those fields of activity and expertise you will see a social care contribution that is potentially lost in not having a similar expertise to be shared within Europe. But I really do think that it's something of a stretch to say that this would cast any doubt on the integration agenda in the plan that we have actually set out for the future of health and social care in Wales. We are taking that forward with vigour and with real positivity from our colleagues in the social care sector. We're going to take a series of meetings with health boards and local authorities together through the rest of the summer.