6. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Minister for Health and Social Services

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:29 pm on 22 March 2023.

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Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 4:29, 22 March 2023

Thank you, Jenny. I'll come to that in my contribution. I will come to that in my contribution.

So, let's have a look at some of the statistics: 24 per cent of the Welsh population are on a NHS waiting list, twice the proportion in England. One in five of those patients are waiting over a year for treatment, compared to one in 18 in England. Over 45,000 patients in Wales are waiting over two years; in England and Scotland, these have been virtually eliminated. Then are the A&E waiting times, and it's been a very long time since Wales saw a greater percentage of patients within the four-hour target than England. And of course, the Welsh target to get 95 per cent of admittants seen in four hours has never been met in the 13-year existence of that particular target.

And ambulance times—and to be fair, it's not all bad. The average red calls in Wales in January were reported to be 19 seconds quicker than the average category 9 call in England. However, amber calls were more than 20 minutes longer to reach a patient in Wales than a category 2 in in England—category 2, of course, includes stroke. And this I think speaks of a lack of confidence that we have in the Welsh Government in tackling the issues, because there are people in the United Kingdom experiencing an inferior level of healthcare simply because they live in Wales, not in England or in Scotland, and that is wrong. That is the opposite of what devolution was meant to achieve. We were supposed to be better off, but we're worse off, and I have lost count how many times I have read 'the worst on record'. I listened to Mike Hedges's contribution—I agree with a lot of what Mike said, not just the fact that we were both elected in 2011—but I agree with him that the job of health Minister is the most difficult job in Government. I agree with that, and I think, in fairness—Mike didn't say this; I'm not referencing Mike now, but—I think that the Minister's predecessor should also take part of the responsibility for the state that our health services are in today.

And to answer Jenny's point, even when we as Welsh Conservatives have offered our solutions—the GP access plan, the NHS tech bundle, surgical hubs—they have not been taken up, to the detriment of patients and staff across our nation, despite the latter in particular being instrumental in tackling those waits in England.

Now, I really did not want this debate today, and I heard, when Sam Rowlands opened the debate today, some jeers from some Members about crocodile tears. I really do not want this debate today. I really take no pleasure in it. Believe me, I look forward to the day—[Interruption.] 'Funding Wales properly' is being said. Wales gets £1.20 for every £1 spent in England. [Interruption.] Right? Now, if—