Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:46 pm on 30 November 2021.

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Photo of Paul Davies Paul Davies Conservative 1:46, 30 November 2021

First Minister, the reality is that action needs to be taken, and taken very quickly. As we move into winter, there will be further pressures on our NHS services, and with the news that there is a new COVID variant in the UK, it's crucial now that the Welsh Government has a plan to ensure that waiting times are addressed and preventable deaths aren't taking place. 

The latest statistics show that the average time spent in emergency departments was three hours and seven minutes, which is a new record high, and they also show that ambulance performance against the eight-minute response target was the lowest on record at 50 per cent, which was down from 52.3 per cent in the previous month. Dr Pillai has warned that not only does bed capacity need to be addressed, there is also a shortfall of staff of around 100 emergency medicine consultants along with vital emergency medicine nurses, junior and other supporting staff. So, First Minister, will you now commit to restoring bed capacity back to pre-pandemic levels, and will you also commit to publishing a long-term workforce plan that recruits staff and also retains them as well?