Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:47 pm on 10 May 2022.
Thank you for that answer, First Minister. I very much hope that those in the medical fraternity such as the British Medical Association do come and make that powerful case to you, because I detected a commitment to achieve those extra funded places if that case is presented to you. But what we also know in the acute sector, i.e. the hospitals, is that regular data is not provided on vacancy rates. It was welcome that the nurse staffing measure was put in place some time ago that protected certain positions within the hospital settings, but what we do know from the freedom of information replies that organisations have had is that, in some health boards, only 52 per cent of consultant positions are permanent—48 per cent are filled by temporary consultants. That clearly isn't sustainable in developing a workforce to meet the backlog of the pandemic, but also a workforce that is sustainable going forward. Will you commit to making sure that regular data on vacancies within the acute sector, i.e. our hospitals, is published by the Welsh Government so that we can see how much progress the Welsh Government is making in fulfilling the vacancies that are on our hospital sheets at the moment so that ward rounds can be covered and we can make real progress in eating into the waiting lists that have built up through the pandemic?