Our NHS is at breaking point. Something has to give. There have been long-standing problems with patient flow through hospitals. When you combine this with an increased pressure on our emergency service and more and more patients being added to waiting lists, our hard-working staff are being forced to work harder, and work harder in worse conditions.

There will be some in this Chamber that won't want to hear this; they refuse to believe it. Well, don't take my word for it—take the word of the British Medical Association Cymru Wales who recently released the findings of their NHS pressure portal, a place where doctors from across Wales have shared accounts of the state of their working conditions, and the pressures that they face on a daily basis. From treating patients in cupboards, on chairs, to working 12-hour shifts without breaks, doctors laid bare their experiences to highlight the risk to patient and staff safety. Other concerns include patients waiting for up to 14 hours in A&E being the new normal, patients needed cardiac monitors going unmonitored due to a lack of space, and patients being treated in the back of ambulances.

The recent strikes for nurses and ambulance workers are a last resort from dedicated staff who have patient safety at the heart of their actions. That was what came out loud and clear during my visits to picket lines: yes, pay is important, but so is patient safety. Staff should not have to go on strike to make safe their working conditions and the conditions for patients. Something has to give. As a party, we've always been on the side of workers fighting for fair pay and safe working conditions. There have been ample opportunities for the Welsh Labour Government to show their support for nurses. They have not taken them.

The biggest challenge to the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016 is the sustainability of the nursing workforce. There are for more nurses leaving the NHS than can be matched by newly qualified nurses or internationally recruited nurses. Regrettably, there have been no actions by the Welsh Government since the RCN's last report in 2019 to address nursing retention issues. With more and more people being added to waiting lists every day, our NHS is locked into a vicious cycle. We can't speed the flow of patients through the system until that is addressed and, in the meantime, our overworked and under-resourced health and care staff are working around the clock to keep things moving, or, as many are doing, they are leaving the profession, never to return.

Over 60 per cent of people on the waiting list are waiting for their first outpatient appointment. It will take a whole-system effort to reduce these figures and ensure people are seen in a timely manner. The delays in out-patient appointments, diagnostic tests and surgery have catastrophic impact on those waiting, as well as their families and their carers. Clinicians are reporting examples including people presenting with late-stage cancer, more complex cataracts, and people who were walking with a stick now needing wheelchairs.

I have also previously mentioned in committee scrutiny meetings the inconsistency of the Welsh Minister calling for people to assume greater personal responsibility in terms of exercise and leading healthy lives at a time when council cuts are being made due to a lack of Welsh Government funding. In my region, the people of Pontllanfraith probably had a wry smile on their face when they heard the health Minister talk about people taking more responsibility for their health after the Labour-controlled local authority did everything in their power to shut the local leisure centre. Only a court challenge stopped them. After 25 years of running health in Wales, staff and patients need to know why they should have the confidence in Labour's ability to improve our NHS. This isn't just about clearing COVID backlogs—the issues I have mentioned have existed pre pandemic and they require urgent solutions. The current state of our NHS is unacceptable and cannot be defended. We are in a health crisis. I urge Members to vote for our motion. Diolch yn fawr.