3. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support the mental health of the NHS and social care workforce during the pandemic? OQ56313

Well, I'd like to pay tribute for the real interest that Jayne Bryant has shown in this issue. I know she's just just asked the question to the health Minister on a similar subject, and I think it's absolutely right to focus on this. The Welsh Government fully recognises the incredible physical and emotional demands faced by our NHS and social care workforce, and we're really closely monitoring the impact and working with partners, to provide immediate additional support to respond to people’s changing mental health needs.

Thank you very much for that answer, Minister. Last month, I was able to hold a short debate to highlight the pressure on our front-line NHS and social care staff and what they've experienced over the last year. I was privileged to read out some powerful and emotive statements from nurses, theatre assistants, paramedics and practitioners about the realities of facing the virus. Staff are exhausted, both mentally and physically, and many have feelings of grief and guilt. It's clear that the consequences of COVID will be felt by those on the front line for many years to come. It's likely to have a legacy of mental health issues and people questioning whether they still want to, or are able to, stay in the job because of burnout. What steps can the Welsh Government take to target support on our NHS and social care workforce so that we do all we can to look after those who care for us?

Thanks very much, Jayne. I must say that I'm very pleased that we've been able to give an extra £1 million to enhance the support of the programme that we have, Health for Health Professionals Wales, and that psychological support, which includes a helpline. The Samaritans are there specifically to help people; there is a doctor who will be able to ring back within 24 hours. And what's really great is that we know that there's been a really good response to this provision.

Since that debate, I've been fortunate enough to meet the Royal College of Nursing and they were very clearly trying to outline to me the kind of trauma that people on the front line have been undergoing, and they know that's not trauma you can tuck away, that is something—. They haven't had a chance to process what they've gone through on the front line, and they're very aware that when it comes to this programme of intensity that they're going through at the moment, when they have time to process that, that's when the impact may hit them. And so they were very keen to emphasise that whatever we're putting in place now will not be able to be taken away, because that longer term trauma that we really have to consider, we will have to make sure that we are giving that support for the longer term, so I'm very pleased to see that. I'm very pleased to see also that the Royal College of General Practitioners have responded very positively also to the support we give to Health for Health Professionals Wales.

Minister, Jayne Bryant and I only heard this morning in health committee about the mental health impact on nursing staff, and the absolute need for them to have a chance to rest and recuperate. And so many are putting in long hours way above and beyond what they should be doing as they feel the responsibility to do so, but they need respite and looking after themselves. But, as well as this, and as part of NHS England's response, they've created hubs. These hubs are free of charge and offer confidential advice and support to NHS staff who, over the last year, have cared for millions of people with coronavirus, whilst keeping vital services like maternity, mental health and cancer care going. Minister, will you commit to studying these measures to see whether similar action could benefit NHS staff here in Wales? Thank you.

Thanks very much, Laura. Well, we don't set up these programmes without consulting with people to ask them what it is that they want, what it is that is meaningful and useful to them. One of the groups that I've been speaking to—. One of the issues, of course, is we've put a lot of support in place, but I was hearing that some people simply don't have time to access that support. So, if they come in in the morning, they feel like they've got to hold it together to do their work during the day, and by the end of their shift they just want to collapse. So, when is it that they can have that support that we're offering them? So, you're absolutely right: we need to make sure that there is some space to allow people to access that support when it's right for them. Of course, we do have alternatives; we've got online support that they can access as well. But I think we're going to have to think very carefully, when we see a reduction in the numbers in relation to the virus, despite the pressures that we've heard of from Angela earlier today—how many people are waiting—we really have to think about looking after those front-line staff and making sure that they do get some kind of break. I think we're going to have to ask the Welsh public to be a little bit patient, just to give these people time to breathe so that they can really get on with their work, because the last thing we want is to see these people leave the NHS.