Occupational Health

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:10 pm on 7 February 2023.

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Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 2:10, 7 February 2023

I thank you, Trefnydd, for your response there. And, of course, Trefnydd, you may be aware that there are hundreds of thousands of people who have left the workforce since 2019, and there are big efforts in terms of keeping older people in their jobs for longer to support the economy. An early reported conclusion of a review from the Department for Work and Pensions is that companies that provide employees with extensive occupational health support have a better retention rate because they lose fewer staff to ill health or related problems. And I'm aware, of course, we have over 50,000 people currently waiting for over two years for treatment on the Welsh NHS. I'm aware that organisations such as the Senedd Commission or the Welsh Government will offer good occupational health support to their employees. I'm aware also of the tens of thousands of small businesses across Wales that won't have that same ability to offer that occupational health support. So, can I ask, Minister, what specifically the Welsh Government is doing to help very small businesses—maybe just one or two staff employed in each business—how are they supporting those businesses to offer better occupational health support to their staff?