Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:57 pm on 6 October 2020.

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Photo of Paul Davies Paul Davies Conservative 1:57, 6 October 2020

Well, quite clearly, First Minister, the Welsh Government therefore needs to redouble its efforts, because a number of professional organisations have expressed real concern about the resumption of services over the last few months. Over the summer, the Royal College of Surgeons warned that delays to surgery will already have resulted in an increased need for complex surgery; the British Heart Foundation warned that as services remain unavailable, the urgency of these procedures is increasing, creating a significant cohort of patients who need urgent treatment; and the British Medical Association Cymru have said that they are concerned at the prospect of managing routine care alongside a second peak. First Minister, these delays will continue to stretch the capacity of the NHS, and these organisations have been warning about this for some time. Now, the Royal College of Surgeons has called on the Welsh Government to ramp up the development of so-called green zones or COVID-light areas in hospitals. Therefore, can you tell us what action the Welsh Government took in response to these warnings to help expedite treatment for those people waiting across Wales? And can you also tell us what work the Welsh Government is doing to accelerate the development of green zones in Welsh hospitals?