Thank you for the opportunity to make a few comments in this debate, and no, we haven't put forward any amendments, because there is a set of principles here that I'm sure that we could all support. Pharmacy is at the heart of our health services. It has to be, but it hasn't always been the case. Too often, I think pharmacy, and community pharmacy in particular, have been seen as something on the margins. Important, of course, but there, perhaps, to support the main health services rather than being a core part of those services. And we're going through a process of demanding a culture change at present, I think, in terms of how people engage with their health services, and it's something that I genuinely believe passionately in. And we have to succeed to change this culture, all of us, individuals and society as a whole, if we want to create a health service that is sustainable for the future. And one of the changes is going through this switch from people feeling that they need to see a doctor. Many people do have to see a doctor, but from that mindset, rather, to, 'How can I get the most appropriate healthcare for me or my family?' And upgrading the role of the pharmacist, our pharmacies in our communities, and enabling people to turn to a pharmacist first of all with more and more ailments is a key part of that.

And the fact that we do have this national clinical community pharmacy service coming into force this week is something that I welcome very much. We have a framework that I hope is going to push this agenda forward, drive this change of culture, but there's a great deal more that we need to do, and one of the things that we do need to see happening now is even more education for people—us included—about how to change the way that we think about our health services. The Government has invested in the communication plans about the change coming into force this week, but I think that there is a great deal more that could be done too.

And we have to go through a number of steps as well, in order to align with the introduction of the changes this week and ensure that pharmacies genuinely are at the heart of every primary care cluster in Wales, ensuring that we now deliver the digital changes that pharmacy and primary care need. I chair the cross-party group on digital, and in our meeting at lunch time today, health and care were at the heart of what we discussed, and there is an appetite now to ensure that our services, including pharmacy, can use the latest technology. There is no sense in the twenty-first century, a quarter of the way into the twenty-first century, that so many pieces of paper prescriptions are still flying around the NHS in Wales. It is something that I'm ashamed about, I have to say, and I believe that the Minister is too.

And one of the other factors that we need to consider, and the motion today reflects that, is the investment that is needed in the workforce. The well-being survey that the motion refers to is very concerning with regard to the weaknesses within the workforce at the moment. We do have to invest in that workforce. As we are having a new medical school in Wales, we need a new school of pharmacy in Wales, to ensure that flow of people through the system that is going to be such a key part of pharmacy at the heart of primary care in Wales.