3. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Update on COVID-19 Vaccinations

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:29 pm on 2 February 2021.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 3:29, 2 February 2021

Yes, thank you. I think that's one of the things that has been largely overlooked—the fact that NWIS, who at times have been criticised, have actually delivered a bespoke piece of software to really help us understand what we're doing, and to make sure, not just in terms of recording information, but that that information is then going to be used to make sure we're generating new appointments for those people when they need their second dose, but to make sure they get the right vaccine for their second dose as well. And again, it does show that a can-do approach from committed public servants really is making a huge difference throughout this crisis. And the fact that it's integrated into the GP record will be useful for the future as well.

So, I think the Welsh immunisation service is not just going to be useful for now, but on a longer-term basis in the future. And I think you'll see more of that innovation more broadly than the vaccination programme as well. So, in the software we're using, for example, Attend Anywhere, that was driven by necessity, because people had to have appointments on a remote basis. We rolled that out very rapidly. It would have taken years otherwise to have rolled out software like that across our NHS. And that will not just be a crisis-led response to the pandemic—that's going to be part of the way that our service works in the future. If you think about us as a group of not entirely typical workers, but, you know, politicians and others find it difficult to be at one place at one time, and to have a different set of appointments where you're required to physically attend a hospital premises, for example, for appointments you could do over the phone or on screen. So, more and more we're going to need to be responsive to the person, to the patient, but also in how that works for the member of staff as well. So, a lot done in terms of the digital innovation, and much more to do for the future that should benefit all of us.