3. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: The Seventieth Anniversary of the NHS

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:25 pm on 3 July 2018.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:25, 3 July 2018

Thank you, Caroline. Again, I recognise your personal story and recognition of the fact that the NHS has helped to protect and maintain your own life, and also the huge progress made in improving health and in removing significant causes of disability, illness and death. Again, we've all mentioned staff within the service, and it's absolutely right that we do.

The challenge then is about whether we're prepared to take forward our headline commitment to a conversation about the future of health and social care into delivery. That doesn't take away from people asking awkward questions of the Government—it never will do, and it should not do—but there are still challenges about how we make choices when change is proposed in different parts of the country and what we're actually prepared to do. That isn't simply a challenge for one party, it's a challenge for all of us, because all of us will be challenged by changes within our local areas, which we represent, and the concern that people have where something they value and understand is proposed for change. That's why it's so important to have staff leading the conversation, staff talking to other staff, staff talking and listening to the public, because I guarantee that 10 politicians talking to the public about the NHS will never be believed compared to a handful of members of staff talking about the challenges they face. It's understandable why people trust staff in that way. So, we do need to listen to staff, but the key stakeholder in improving public health is the individual citizen themselves, in their context. The choices we make have a much greater impact on health outcomes for the nation than the technical service that is provided by the NHS.

On your point about Fighting Fatigue, last week, I agreed a fatigue charter with the British Medical Association, so I'm looking to see how the Fight Fatigue campaign links to the charter that we've agreed, because I do recognise that our staff need to be able to go into work and not just be content and motivated, but to have time to have rest and to perform their duties without coping with fatigue itself. So, I'm interested in the area, I'll have a look at the campaign that is being launched and how it actually is consistent with the charter that I've agreed with doctors' representatives within the last week or so.