Diolch. Thank you, Minister. Last month, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine hosted an event here in the Senedd on the future of emergency care in Wales. The event heard from clinicians on the ground who spoke about the need for a long-term sustainable strategy. Data shows that whilst attendance to A&E is similar year on year, capacity continues to be stretched. We know that there are a range of issues causing this, from patients having high complex needs to a reduction in community beds across Wales and the need to increase staffing levels of consultants. At the event, Bridgend was represented by our clinical director of emergency care for the Princess of Wales Hospital, and it was good, actually, to hear that the No. 1 issue, as it is in many other places, is not actually staff recruitment. However, it is the lack of community beds that is creating a slow hospital flow and thus impacting waiting times, because Princess of Wales has about 300 beds, and 160 of those are filled with medically fit patients, and 80 of those are simply waiting for a community or step-down bed. Bridgend is facing an exit block.

I appreciate the Welsh Government is working hard to combat these issues across Wales. The 595 community beds for Wales are welcome, but it is disappointing that just 15 of these beds reached Princess of Wales. How, then, Minister, is the access to more community beds determined, and what more can be done to ensure that those 80 patients in Bridgend, waiting in our hospital, can be discharged, improving the flow of patients through Princess of Wales as well as their care? Diolch.