6. How is the Welsh Government ensuring that people living in mid Wales have adequate access to NHS services? OQ58705

Powys Teaching Health Board is responsible for providing services to its population. We're working with the health board on business cases for both the north Powys well-being development and refurbishment works at Llandrindod Wells hospital.

Thank you for your answer, Minister. The services provided by the Wales Air Ambulance to the people of mid Wales and other areas of Wales is invaluable. There is deep concern, as you know, Minister, with proposals to move the Welshpool base and how that will strengthen services in mid Wales. I find it difficult to accept that moving a helicopter and road vehicle further away from mid Wales will lead to an expansion in the service. The First Minister is yet to correct the record when he told me in this Chamber that the data that sits behind the proposals belong to the charity itself, when we know the data belong to the NHS Wales Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service Cymru. Do you agree with me that it is of great importance that all the information and data that underpins the proposals are made publicly available before the start of the engagement process?

We were more recently informed that the chief ambulance service commissioner is now leading on the process, but I was concerned yesterday that the Wales Air Ambulance charity has invited selected people to gatherings across mid Wales to explore, as they put it, 'the future of our service delivery'. The charity has made it clear that these sessions are by invitation only and should not be forwarded to other people to attend. I am concerned that this approach does not encourage equal opportunities for all to present their views and brings an element of confusion to the engagement process, which we are told is being led by the commissioner. I've got a strong view that there should be a formal public consultation on the proposals due to the change of delivery of a key service and the significant concern and public interest that these proposals have. Do you agree that there should be a full public consultation, and will you make sure that this is the case, Minister?

I understand the strength of feeling on this, in particular in Montgomeryshire and in north Wales, where the air ambulance bases are based at the moment. This is an independent charity. It's an independent charity, and what you have asked us to do is to make sure that the data and the presentation is available. Now, my understanding is that that presentation has been offered to Senedd Members and, actually, lots of people have taken up that opportunity to have a look at the data. So, that data is available, and I think what's important is that we understand that, all of the time, when money is tight, you've got to look for efficiencies, and what the air ambulance services are telling us is that they can gain some efficiencies if they change the configuration. Now, they're an independent service. I think what we've got to remember is that there is an opportunity for consultation, and it is through the community health councils; they are the representatives, the spokespeople for the public. So, what I would do is encourage people to make sure that they communicate and make their views known to the community health councils and that they then can engage with that presentation by the air ambulance service.

Good afternoon, Minister. I want to ask about teeth, and particularly the teeth of people in mid Wales. There are around 15,000 people waiting for an NHS dentist across Wales—that means that a wait of around two years for people to get an NHS dentist is the case. I do appreciate that there are problems and issues around waiting lists, and I've raised the issue a few times around the teeth of people in mid and west Wales. But I just wonder if you could tell us a little bit more about what your plans are around making sure that people in mid and west Wales get an NHS service, because, currently, what we have is a two-tier service where the rich can afford to go to a dentist, and those probably in the highest need, who are poorer, don't get that opportunity. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

Thank you very much, and thank you for your perseverance on this issue. I think it is really important. It's quite marked, though, that, actually, what I've noticed is that the number of people complaining has actually reduced slightly recently, and part of the reason for that is because the new contract reform system is starting to bite. So, the contract reform system that we introduced, 90 per cent of dentists are now—of the value of their dental contracts—working under those new arrangements, and what that means is that we've seen that 89,500 new patients have gained access to NHS dental services this year. So, it's already gone a long way. There's still a bit more to go; I think we need to get up to about 120,000 in terms of the contract value, so there's still a bit of a way to go, but it will be interesting to hear whether you have noticed that slight reduction in volume on this issue, because it's certainly something that I've noticed.