2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:40 pm on 7 March 2023.

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Photo of Gareth Davies Gareth Davies Conservative 2:40, 7 March 2023

Could I ask for a statement from the Government regarding care home provision in Denbighshire? As I've mentioned a couple of times in the Senedd Chamber now, I'm undertaking a programme of care home visits in my constituency, and the common theme that's currently emerging is the fact that care homes that run at, say, for example, a 40/50 capacity, are actually only operating at half of that sometimes, and that's mostly due to the lack of recruitment and retention of staff within care homes, and it's becoming a real issue, obviously with patient flow and discharges from hospital. Part of the issue that care home providers are talking about is the actual care home fee in Denbighshire. And I know I've mentioned it before, and I know the leader of the council gets a little upset with me when I mention it, but it would be remiss of me not to bring it up, because, where there is a slight increase in the care home fee for this financial year, comparatively against other counties—sorry, neighbouring counties—it's the second lowest care home fee provider, only behind Flintshire. Given the density of the population in Rhyl and Prestatyn, together with the amount of elderly people, and, indeed, the care homes that go with that, it's becoming a problem and it's not reflective of the demographics in Denbighshire. So, could I have a statement from the Government outlining some of the training opportunities and what more we can do in Denbighshire and more widely to attract people into care home careers, and to reassure people that it is a rewarding career, and it could be very successful, with the right training and provision in place? Thank you.