15. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Update on Local Coronavirus Restrictions

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:42 pm on 29 September 2020.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 6:42, 29 September 2020

I want to turn to testing also. We're asking people to behave in a particular way, but the Government has to get its house in order too. It was your call, of course, to depend on the lighthouse labs, instead of controlling our own capacity. The First Minister said earlier today that Wales's in-house capacity would hit 8,000 a day in a few weeks; 5,000 next week, 8,000 a week or two after that. But, I remind you of the promise that we'd be up to 9,000 a day by the end of April within Wales. If we had stuck to that trajectory, I think we'd probably be in a better place than having stuck with lighthouse. This needs resolving, of course, because we need fast testing, fast results, in order to instigate the fast tracing that will help isolate cases. So, your response on that too. 

Finally, if I may, to hospital transmission. Now, there's desperate concern, at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in particular, about a lack of preparation, it seems, for the second wave, despite warnings—not least from over 100 clinicians, I'm told, signing a letter during the summer calling for the establishment of a green site. There are a number of COVID-positive wards at the Royal Glam now, ITU has been operating at capacity and, despite knowing the dangers of hospital transmission, I'm told that they only last week began testing patients as they were admitted to the Royal Glam, other than elective patients. There's still no routine testing of staff, I understand.

So, can the Minister say why this hospital has such high transmission rates, just as in the last wave, why so little seems to have changed, what's been done to protect it and other hospitals and those who work in them and those who are cared for in them? I understand that changes might be about to be introduced to that hospital and how it admits patients and so on, but, if so, why only now, given the long-standing warnings?