2. What measures will the Welsh Government take to improve the speed of hospital discharge for patients in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area? OQ57087

The Welsh Government has provided significant additional funding to support improved patient flow and discharge processes, including in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region. We are also working to address current capacity and workforce issues in social care to support quicker discharges, including through the real living wage for care workers.

Minister, thank you for that answer, and the question I'm asking about my own health board area you could equally replicate across Wales, where there isn't one answer, but it is a question of getting the right resources across those range of factors that will help to speed up discharge. And, of course, there's the importance of this for patients within hospital and freeing up important beds, but also for getting people home, so that they can be supported in independent living at the place that they want to be as rapidly as possible as well. Could you just give me the assurance that you will continue to work with Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend local authorities as well as the health board to make sure that the resources are in the right place at the right time, and that also the support is there for the voluntary sector, such as Care and Repair Cymru and others, and the home support teams that are doing such great interdisciplinary work?

I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for that very important question. I think we all know what a difficult time this is for health and social care, and how damaging it is for people to stay in hospital longer than is necessary. So, we are continuing to work very closely with health and social care partners to support effective discharge processes and we have provided significant additional funding. The integrated care fund and the transformation fund have assisted regional partnership boards with developing new integrated ways of working. In Cwm Taf Morgannwg, for example, the 'stay well at home' project has continued to develop, which prevents unnecessary hospital admissions and ensures that there's timely discharge for those people who require admission. The ICF also funds health and social care discharge co-ordinators in Cwm Taf Morgannwg, who also help with timely discharges. In addition, the Member mentioned Care and Repair Cymru; we provided over £0.5 million in 2021-22 to Care and Repair Cymru to deliver the 'hospital to a healthier home' service, which facilitates safer and quicker discharges for vulnerable older patients. And within the Cwm Taf Morgannwg region, the service is delivered in the Princess of Wales, Royal Glamorgan and Prince Charles hospitals. So, I agree with the Member that it's absolutely essential we work closely with the local authorities and with the health board at this very difficult time for the services to provide maximum integration.

Minister, if your Government had delivered a more integrated health and social care system over the past 20 years, perhaps discharge planning would have been more efficient and better for patient care. We know that some patients stay longer in hospital because of the time it can take for an assessment of their needs. Has the Minister considered using other professionals, such as community-based physios and occupational therapists in addition to the social care workforce, and how about pre-op home assessments for these patients? If the Minister would like to know more about it, I would be happy to discuss it with her. Thank you.

Thank you very much, and thank you for the offer to discuss it further; I'd be very happy to do so. I just want to make the point, basically, that this problem that we have in Wales about delayed discharges and problems with the social care system is a problem that is there throughout the UK. I heard on Radio 4 this morning about the major problems that are being experienced in England, so this is not unique to Wales. What we've got to do is try to find a solution to it, and we are working flat out to try to do that. The Minister for Health and Social Services and I are meeting weekly with representatives from the health boards and from the local authorities to try to find a way to tackle these damaging delayed discharges. And so, we are doing all we can, but it is a problem that is throughout the UK.

Deputy Minister, my question follows on from Mr Hussain's question and we're very lucky to have his expertise in this Senedd. My question is that, next week, the cross-party group on dementia is to publish a report on hospital care, and one recommendation is to have specific slots to allow those suffering from dementia to leave hospital. The reason for having those slots is to ensure that care homes, carers and families have an opportunity to discuss that release from hospital and to contribute to that process. Another recommendation is to ensure that there are teams available to support people to leave hospitals and that those teams ensure that all the paperwork, the drugs and transport are all in place when an individual leaves hospital. As you know, it's crucial that we have this close collaboration between the health and care sector. So, will you, and the Minister for health and the Deputy Minister for mental health, look in detail at this report and the recommendations it makes and act on them? Thank you.

Thank you very much; diolch yn fawr iawn for the information about this report. It sounds an extremely interesting report and I think we would all be very interested in reading it and seeing if we could follow up any of the suggestions. I absolutely agree that people with dementia, when they are leaving hospital or at any point really, need to have the space and the time and the integrated team to plan carefully for them. So, thank you very much indeed for the work you have been doing on this report. I really look forward to reading it.