Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:07 pm on 26 April 2022.
Thank you very much, Rhun. Certainly, things have changed since the pandemic hit. The fact that we are all using technology in an entirely different way as compared to how we were using it before the pandemic means that there are possibilities now that weren't in place before the pandemic. We want to take advantage of those opportunities to transform the system going forward. But you're right, what we need is to develop sustainable services in the long term and that's why what we intend to do here is to increase capacity. And you talk about transformation; well, that's what we're trying to do, to transform, but the public needs to come with us on this too, to understand that we do have to do things differently and that the way that we have done things in the past—people just taking it for granted that they would be receiving care in a hospital, for example—will change. We want the care to be taking place closer to the people, we want the diagnostics to happen in the community, and that they'll only attend hospital if they generally have to do so. So, we have a priority in terms of diagnosis and treatment, and that is important, because there are many people waiting for their initial diagnosis. We need to know who is waiting, to find out whether that is going to be a serious problem or not, and that's why we are focusing on that during the first few months.
As you know, major funding has gone into the care service. There will be a need for more, certainly, but as you are aware, for the first time we are paying the real living wage to those people who work in this sector. And that's the greatest challenge, I believe, in terms of care, namely to pay people a fair wage, because it's in that way that we will attract more people into the system. But we are working with Plaid Cymru to come up with a programme on how we will go about looking at care in the longer term.
What we've tried to do here is to put in place measures and targets that are realistic, but that also give people hope, and that is vital. At the moment, people don't know what to expect, but with these targets, I hope that they will get a better idea. And it's really important, and I want to make it clear, particularly with regard to orthopaedics, for example—we have to be aware that we are still in a crisis situation. You only need to go to A&E on a Friday evening, as I did last Friday, just to see the pressure on them, and you can see why people are cancelling operations, because there is so much pressure at the back door. And so having beds is vital if you're going to continue and go forward.
So, in terms of orthopaedics, for example, what we'll be doing is changing the way that we do this, to ensure that there are organisations and services provided where we see a great many cataract procedures done swiftly; the same with orthopaedics, as we intend to develop, for example, a centre in Swansea for that. But it's also important that people understand that the median wait at the moment is 42 weeks. So, even though some people are waiting very long, the median wait is 42 weeks. So, it is important that people do understand that too.
Technology and the way that the systems communicate with each other—once, again, we've been discussing that this week. Again, it's difficult to switch that on overnight, but there are plans in place, and I've tried to apply pressure to see whether we can move more swiftly with regard to those systems.
And in terms of workforce planning, you'll be aware that we have a programme, but what's important is that there is an action plan associated with that programme. That's why we're working with HEIW. And part of what we're going to be putting in place here is to ensure that we are entirely clear in terms of the workforce that we need to have in place. And I'm sure that the committee will be interested in seeing what we intend to do in that field.