Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:13 pm on 19 November 2019.
I just want to make a few very brief comments—some of the points that I would otherwise have wished to raise have either already been addressed by the Minister or have been raised by other speakers.
With regard to the committee's recommendation 2, I was pleased to hear what the Minister said with regard to the level of support that will be available to staff—to any GP who finds themselves in a situation where they are being acted against. But, the point was made to us in committee—I think it was by the Medical Defence Union—that when GPs are being acted against, or an accusation is made, it's very directly to them personally, and their situation is somewhat different to a medical professional in a hospital setting.
I'd just like to invite the Minister to reiterate and to commit to there being a similar level of personal support available. The Medical Defence Union told us that it was not only about providing the practical and legal advice, and financial support if necessary, but it was also about, because a GP, potentially, is more isolated, a level of personal support there. I'm hoping that the Minister will be able to reassure us today that that level of personal support won't be lost.
And also—and, again, the Minister may not be able to say very much about this, but it would be helpful to know if the Minister has got an indicative timescale with regard to the judicial review, or is that something that will be solved if he and his officials are able to come to an agreement with the Medical Defence Union? It would be helpful for us to know how long this is all likely to take, though I do appreciate, Llywydd, that this is not in the Minister's hands necessarily, nor in the hands of his officials.
And, just finally, to say we know we have real problems with GP recruitment and retention in Wales; we also know we're not alone in that. I don't think any of us believe that this measure by itself will change that and transform it overnight, but it is an important step forward. And I hope that GPs and potential GPs will be able to see this as a sign of the political community in Wales wanting to offer them support, and wanting to give them the protection that they need. I'm sure that we can all agree to that in principle across parties. Diolch yn fawr.