3. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:48 pm on 22 April 2020.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:48, 22 April 2020

Thank you for that final set of questions. On PPE, I just want to reiterate that we're taking an approach to pursue all leads and working constructively with other nations in the UK, because it's the responsible thing to do. And, in normal times, we'd be engaging in politics as normal. I think it's time to put all of that decisively to one side to get the right equipment for our staff. And this isn't about shooting the messenger when it comes to what Martin Evans said. It's not the view of Cardiff University that his judgment is one that applies to the work and the nature of our partnership with that university. It is a reality, though, of the fact that the global supply chains, which we have become used to having and delivering for us, have been interrupted significantly in a way that was not predictable even a short distance into the past. That's why so many Welsh manufacturers have responded to the call to change the way that they deliver goods to actually manufacture PPE and goods that we know that we need. And, of course, in terms of looking back and learning lessons, we need to look forward to understand what local supply chains we have to provide greater resilience for the supply of PPE across our health and social care system, and that is a point that is well understood within and outside the Government.

In terms of the reuse of PPE, it is possible that some PPE can be used, for example, in dentistry as a regular part of making use of some of the eye protectors that they wear. But that isn't a politically led choice or process; that's actually got to come on the basis of the evidence of what's safe, because if I decide and try to say now we should be reusing certain forms of PPE, that is not going to have the level of confidence that staff will understandably want, or indeed the public. Those are definite, professionally led conversations that are taking place about whether there is the potential for more reuse of PPE. 

And, on testing, we don't just have drive-in testing facilities as you know. So, for example, we do think we're getting closer to home testing. You'll have heard some of the publicity this week about home-testing kits that are being developed here in Wales. And that's certainly part of our plan, to want to be able to exploit those—that point-of-care testing—so we don't have to wait a long period of time to get from referral to test to result. But also community testing services that already exist across Wales do include people going to other people's places of work or, indeed, their homes. That's already taking place in the here and now, and that's part of the infrastructure we already have, and we're looking at trying to expand that again into the future.