Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:58 pm on 25 January 2022.
Thanks very much, Gareth. As you're aware, about 33,000 people die in Wales every year and about 200 of them are children, and I just can't imagine the agony that parents in particular have to go through. That equates to about 90 people per day, but what we do know is that we're going to see an increasing number of people dying because of the demographic profile of the country. So, by 2039, we'll see a 10 to 15 per cent increase in that number—about 36,000 or so per year dying. And so, clearly, this is an area that will need more attention and we need more of a strategic plan for what the future will look like.
I'm interested to hear about St Kentigern and their situation. One of the things that we've asked the second review to do is to look at, I guess, the differences that are being looked at—the variances in terms of the different models. So, it will be interesting for them to look at what St Kentigern is doing differently to some of the other places. So, that's something that that review will undertake.
And just in terms of bed capacity: well, we have seen an increase in the bed capacity, and one of the things that the reviewed formula has taken into account is the fact that there is an increase in bed capacity, and it's one of the reasons and part of the justification for giving additional funding.