Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:33 pm on 7 March 2023.
First Minister, according to Stats Wales, in December 2022, Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, which covers the Cynon valley, along with Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and the rest of Rhondda Cynon Taf, had a staggering 13,732 patients waiting more than 14 weeks for diagnostic and therapy services, out of a population of 450,000. This represents 36 per cent of the total amount of people waiting more than 14 weeks in Wales. Cwm Taf health board also had 31,992 patients waiting over eight weeks, which represented 18 per cent of the Welsh total, which is, sadly, further evidence of the postcode lottery that exists in Wales with the health service. To put these figures into perspective, for the same month, the whole of London, which has a population of over nine million people, had a similar amount of 32,953 people waiting more than six weeks. Recent Office for National Statistics data shows that, out of the 331 areas in the United Kingdom, Merthyr Tydfil is officially the sickest place, with almost 10 per cent of the population in very bad health, whilst RCT is sixth and Bridgend is thirteenth. As you know, recent news shows that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has now been put back into special measures, and the British Dental Association has warned that NHS dentistry in Wales could soon disappear, with the chairman of the BDA's Welsh general committee stating that Welsh NHS dentistry in its current state is unlikely to exist in a year or two's time. With this in mind, First Minister, what steps has the Welsh Government taken to improve on these appalling statistics? Thank you.