Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:32 pm on 7 June 2022.
I am extremely aware of the seriousness of the situation, and it is clear that the situation in Betsi, in particular in those areas we've highlighted, is unacceptable. This is something that I made very clear to the chief executive and the chair when I met them last week. Can I be absolutely clear that this statement was earmarked before any suggestion of an opposition debate on this matter? It was very important for me—[Interruption.] It was important for me to—[Interruption.] It was important for me to speak to the chair and the chief executive face to face, and that's why I needed the opportunity to go and do that in front of them last week. So, I'm glad that I was able to do that, to go through the detail of what we were proposing.
The three months that we used to give us time to assess exactly what interventions were necessary not only allowed us to recognise the seriousness of the situation, but also made sure that we had a clear programme of action that we could put in place. I am not in the business of putting a label on something and not having a follow through for that label. And that's why it's absolutely clear to me that making an announcement that there will be an extension to the targeted intervention, with a clear programme of action to run alongside that, is the right way to go.
In terms of the staff, I have been speaking to representatives of health unions in recent days. Certainly, they have been uncomfortable in certain situations of being moved around from place to place, but some of the unions are telling me that, actually, they don't recognise some of the issues that have been highlighted. So, I would suggest that, if there are issues, they also talk to the unions about those issues because they are not hearing some of the things that are being heard by Members here.
It is important also for us to make sure that we focus on the staff within the organisation. The staff are the backbone of any improvements that we are likely to see here. It is why we have said that we are going to be standing with the staff and doing any interventions with the staff rather than doing things to them. That is the only way we're going to get sustainable change.