Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I made a statement on 5 June on the progress made in some key areas during the time that this health board has been in special measures, the significant challenges that remained, and plans to work with the health board during the next phase of improvement. My statement today will focus on the progress against those expectations that I set out for the health board in May in the special measures improvement framework.

The framework sets out milestones for 18 months in four key areas: leadership and governance; strategic and service planning; mental health; and primary care, including out of hours. The health board is required to report on progress every six months, and the first report was discussed and agreed at its board meeting held last week.

I met with the new chair and the chief executive for one of their regular accountability meetings with me and the chief exec of the national health service in Wales last Tuesday to discuss the progress made and plans to deliver on the challenges and difficulties that remain.

On leadership and governance, there has been a strong focus on improving board capability. From May to September this year, all the board vacancies were addressed. Mark Polin has been appointed as the new chair, and a new vice chair and independent members appointments have been made. In line with my expectations, an executive director of primary and community care has been appointed to drive the required improvement in this area. A new executive director of planning and performance has also been recruited and will start in post in November.