Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:38 pm on 9 November 2022.
Well, I won't be lectured by a Tory on how to deal with the NHS. I will not be lectured by a Tory. And the shadow of Nye Bevan—absolutely, I feel a real responsibility to make sure that we provide the best possible service for the people of Wales. And that does mean keeping our nursing friends and our colleagues safe in the NHS, and making sure that they are happy in their workplace. And we will continue to have those conversations.
As I say, I meet regularly with the RCN, at least quarterly—at least quarterly—and, on top of that, at other times.
But can I just give you a little bit of background to how we've come here today, because this pay award that is on the table at the moment is implementing in full the NHS pay review body recommendations? And as part of the pay review body process, various parties, including the Welsh Government, but also including trade unions, have the ability to submit evidence for their consideration, and then the independent pay review board submits their proposal. And what we've done is to take on their recommendations, which has been the story for many, many years. If we step out of that, then we're opening up a whole new world that we need to consider what happens if that happens. So, we're not in that place, and, as I say, it's going to be very, very difficult for us to find any additional funding.