4. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: The Health and Social Care Winter Protection Plan 2021-22

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:44 pm on 19 October 2021.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:44, 19 October 2021

I think it's really important that there is an understanding that there was always a plan for us to publish this report at a winter learning event, which is going to take place on Thursday, so that we're engaging with the NHS directly. The only way this plan is going to be implemented is if it's really taken up and taken seriously by the NHS and by our care workforce. So, it is important that we're speaking to the right audience, and that's what this plan is supposed to be. It's an instruction to them, and that's why we were always planning to do that on Thursday. 

We have, however, already been doing a huge amount of work in relation to preparing for winter. We've been doing it for a very long time, we've had the NHS planning framework that sets out expectations for health boards and trusts for a very long time. There are weekly meetings that are happening between us, health boards and local authorities to provide a forum for taking further action in terms of preparing for winter. We've got a COVID planning and response structure, of course, which all has fed into this plan. So, it's not as if we're starting from nothing here, we're building on what was already there. And of course, the local options framework is something that health boards are already aware of, and we're making sure that that's being updated in relation to the COVID pressures, and they understand where there are opportunities to flex as we enter the winter.

You ask about the planned care situation, and I think it is important that people understand that we've already given quite a lot of money to the system, £250 million already has been announced, and that communication, as I say, has already been happening.

In relation to the vaccination plans, I can assure the Member that around 30 per cent of people from 12 to 15 years old now have received their first dose, and we will be able to give an update in terms of the booster uptake on Thursday this week, so I hope you can be a little bit patient and wait for us to get those statistics checked before we announce those. We set out in that vaccination plan that the over-50s would be offered their booster doses before the new year. Now, there was another group of people, as you mentioned, who would be offered the vaccination booster before that, that included people like care workers, people in care homes, NHS workers, and so we are on target to be delivering against that vaccination plan that I set out last week.

And then, just finally on planned care that you asked about, as I said, we've already announced £250 million. The health boards have come back to us now and have suggested how they would like to spend that money, so we're just making sure now that we have all our ducks in a row in terms of making sure we have a co-ordinated approach and, hopefully, we'll be able to give more information on exactly how that's going to be spent in that planned care summit later.