2. Will the Minister provide an update on the implementation of the Coronavirus Action Plan to safeguard the citizens of Islwyn? OAQ55225

Thank you. We are currently identifying cases of the virus, isolating patients, and tracing anyone who has been in contact with them. If the disease becomes established in the UK, we will need to consider further measures to delay the rate and extent of its spread.

Thank you. Minister, may I begin by commending you personally for the calm and authoritative manner in which you have led the Welsh Government's response to the coronavirus outbreak? Yesterday in the Senedd, Minister, you made a most welcome statement updating the citizens of Wales on how the coronavirus action plan is developing. My constituents in Islwyn have greatly welcomed your commitment to prioritise the authorisation of supply of personal protective equipment to all GP practices across Wales, and as supplies of personal protective equipment start to be issued, is your department able to offer timescales for when every GP practice in Islwyn will be equipped?

Also Minister, can you reiterate the advice that the Welsh Government would give to Islwyn residents who present with significant flu-like symptoms, about attending work, their GP surgery and/or an accident and emergency department? Because, inevitably, people worried that they may have this virus will seek medical attention, but also, as usual, the chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or those with seasonal flu viruses, chest infections, pneumonia and other ordinary respiratory conditions. Minister, what is the best course of action for these people to aid themselves, their families and the wider community?

Thank you for the questions. On personal protective equipment, I made the decision and the announcement over the weekend about protective equipment to go to general practice. We expect that to be completed within the week across the whole country, so, in Islwyn, obviously, I would expect that every practice within Islwyn will have that within that time frame. If any Member is aware that they have a local practice where that hasn't happened, then I'd be grateful to hear about that so that we can resolve it. I announced yesterday that community pharmacies will also be supplied with personal protective equipment and those supplies will be going out before the end of this week as well. So, having made the decision we'll be able to move rapidly, and we're in the fortunate position that we expect that Wales will have all of that equipment issued and in place within a shorter timescale than England—that's partly about the size and the logistics involved. So, we're in a good place there.

And I think it's an important point to reiterate as well, the things that the public can do themselves. The normal advice about 'catch it, bin it, kill it', wash your hands, but also the normal advice that we'd give and would ask you to follow if you've got significant flu-like symptoms, not to come into work; not to go into places where you're at risk of actually other people acquiring them, with significant consequences. That is normal advice; not just now, with coronavirus potentially circulating, that is normal advice that we would ask people to follow.

For people who are concerned and want medical attention, it's really important that people do not go into their local surgery or into a hospital. Please follow the advice to call 111. It's available across the whole country, and you should then be given advice and guidance on what to do. If you need to be tested, we've already been able to test over 90 per cent of people in their own homes, but also, there are now at least 11 drive-through testing centres across Wales. More are being created by different health boards, and those are for people who are advised to go and attend them. So we're doing all that we could and should do to keep people at home where they need to be, to give them the advice and the provision that they need, and again, if the position changes, then the Government and our chief medical officer, together with other Governments in the UK, will be clear about the reason for that change in advice and what we're then advising people to do. It really is important that all of us take on our individual responsibility as elected Members in what we do to keep our constituents safe, and what our constituents in turn do to keep themselves, their families and other people safe as well. 

Minister, hospitals in England are being asked to carry out more video-based consultations with patients to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus. NHS England have said that they hope this move will reduce the number of people in hospitals and lower the potential for transmission. Minister, will you look at this innovation to see if it would benefit patients in Wales? And what measures are you considering to safeguard communities in Islwyn and elsewhere in Wales? 

Finally, we all know that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced £20 billion funding to tackle this coronavirus, so how much funding are you hoping to have in Wales to not have that silly disease coming to this part of the world? Thank you.

On your point about remote consultations so that people don't necessarily need to attend in person, we've already had a programme of work to do exactly that through the health service. For example, many people now can have advice about eye health conditions without actually needing to go and see a consultant. We've managed to improve access by making use of our primary care contractors in doing that—pharmacy and optometry being really good examples of that.

However, coronavirus accelerates the need to do that, to avoid person-to-person contact, where possible. That explains why, yesterday, I announced that I have made a decision to actually implement a Wales-wide solution in particular in primary and community care, to allow more video consultations to take place. We've also increased and beefed up the 111 service so that it can be across the whole of Wales to deal with advice and information on coronavirus.

It'll be the same for those areas of hospital practice that need to continue. But actually, regarding the way that our hospitals will work if the coronavirus becomes more embedded and more significant, it won't so much be about the example I've given about eye care taking place where images are swapped and sent over; it'll be more and more about how we make use of our hospitals for the sickest of people and the need to displace other activity, if that is what is required. If you look at the example of Italy, the stage they're at and the severity they have, it's an entirely different scenario for the way that the healthcare system needs to work. So none of us should pretend that, if coronavirus is a more significant issue, we can still maintain business as usual.

As for the money that the Chancellor has announced, obviously I've been preparing for questions here today, but I look forward with interest to the detail of the announcements that have been made. But, equally, the point that the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd has made is that, regardless of the headline announcements today, funding is dealt with on a needs basis across the UK to deal with the reality of the impact that the coronavirus will actually have.  

Minister, the constituents of Islwyn are like many other constituents—like mine in Aberavon and others across Wales—who have deep concerns and anxieties over the spread of coronavirus and the implications it could have for their families. I very much welcome the updates you keep giving this Chamber regarding that and your keeping us informed as to the progress and actions that should be taken. That's very welcome.

I also welcome the dissemination of that information to the people of Wales, as much as possible. However, when we do see cases of coronavirus—and, in Neath Port Talbot alone, there have been six identified, the largest number in a single place in Wales at this point it time—and then we've seen one in Cardiff, where it was reported that a member of staff of Sky's call centre was identified as having the coronavirus, and they then took the decision to deep clean that particular site. As such, people who hear of cases within their own locality, where maybe their children have been attending a school with children of a family who have been identified as coronavirus victims ask questions as to how we ensure things are safe. What discussions are you having with public bodies, including local authorities, to ensure and reassure families and parents that, when an incident occurs, everything is being done to ensure the safety of their family in those locations and, if necessary, deep cleaning will take place if it's appropriate? It is important that those messages get out, because if we don't get that messaging and communication right, the rumour mill starts, and that is one of the worst things that can happen in a situation like this. We need facts, not fiction. Therefore it is important that we get the communication right. 

I completely agree with the ending that the Member has left there, because it's really important that all of us behave responsibly and provide information from trusted sources to our constituents. So that is information that the Governments of the UK are providing, including on the Welsh Government website, where we have got clear guidance for schools, and our guidance is that schools should remain open. There is no evidential basis to close schools now, and there's a challenge here about some people's perception that the Government should act and do things like closing schools, when, actually, all of the evidence available to us now is that it would not be effective in either delaying the coronavirus outbreak or indeed reducing potential mortality. And if it were appropriate, it may be appropriate later, but it is absolutely not appropriate now. And the example I've given is: it's not just about the science, about potentially having a second peak in an outbreak, where you could potentially have higher rates of mortality; there's a real challenge about if you close schools, who looks after them? It takes people out of the workplace. Or, if people have people to look after that child, it's unlikely to be registered childcare; it's often kinship childcare, and, often, those people are grandparents, older relatives and people who are in the highest risk category. So, actually, we do need to follow the science; we do need to follow the evidence, and to repeat those trusted sources of information. 

And your point about local government is well made. So, in the planning we're already doing, we are definitely speaking with local government. I briefed cabinet members with social care responsibilities from across each part of Wales on Monday, about some of the challenges that they need to plan for. I'm speaking to leaders of local government across each part of Wales, and each party, all together at the same time, tomorrow as well. So, we're making sure that we're having direct conversations with local government to be prepared. And to really reiterate: we are not going to make choices to risk the health of the public; we're going to make choices on the basis of evidence, and the best available scientific advice, and we will continue to do it and be open with the public about what we are choosing to do and the advice we're giving them on how we want them to behave as well.