Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:50 pm on 25 January 2022.
First Minister, the health Minister has said that we are still in a situation where there are very real restrictions within our hospitals because of COVID, and so your own comments last week that we are past the peak, and the situation has improved significantly, should mean that, following the December figures, waiting times should start to come down. In the meantime it's vital that patients attending NHS sites are not at risk of contracting COVID-19. You'll have seen the damning hospital inspection report into Prince Charles Hospital last month, which found that the arrangements for the prevention and control of infection within the emergency department and clinical decisions unit did not protect patients, members of the public and staff. That report also found significant failings in adhering to local and national guidelines, and staff themselves made it clear that they were worried about contracting COVID-19 and concerned about their patients. So, First Minister, what urgent steps is the Welsh Government taking to address the issues highlighted in that report? And more widely, can you tell us what is being done to ensure that arrangements for the prevention and control of infection in all hospitals actually protect patients and staff?