Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 3:02 pm on 3 November 2021.
Thank you, Minister. The Welsh Government's flagship Grange hospital in Cwmbran recorded the worst A&E waits in September, seeing only 38 per cent of patients in four hours last month, when 95 per cent was the target. In the same week, reports found that staff were frightened to come to work in the brand-new Grange hospital. Yesterday, health Minister, you admitted that when your predecessor Vaughan Gething opened the hospital four months early in the face of concerns from the clinicians, that the recruitment that perhaps should have been done had not been done in time, leading to the chronic understaffing that we're now seeing. So, Minister, could you please outline the measures you'll be taking to increase the recruitment of hospital staff in the Grange; what plans your Government has to increase the community health service provision within the local community; and a timeline of when we can expect to see these changes? Thank you.