Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:11 pm on 22 March 2023.
Llywydd, it's not an easy job being health Minister after a pandemic when waiting lists went soaring everywhere and Tory austerity left our public services fragile and our older sicker and poorer population were left more desperate than ever. But I'm committed to delivering the best possible health service for the people of Wales, and I'm determined to support our health and care staff, who are under so much pressure as they deliver life-saving and life-changing care and treatment.
I wake up every morning worrying about the man who's been waiting for a hip operation, the woman who needs asthma treatment, the child who needs reconstructive surgery. I work tirelessly with my colleagues to ensure that the Welsh NHS provides high-quality, safe and effective care whenever possible. But chronic underfunding of this precious institution, caused by Tory mismanagement of our public finances, makes this extremely difficult. I'm disappointed that the health service is once again being used as a political football in this Chamber; disappointed at attempts to gain political capital from serious issues involving Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board; disappointed but not surprised that the Tories have chosen to launch this attack on me today, when on the day I put Betsi into special measures I was assured by the Conservatives that they would not be calling for my resignation.
But the timing of this vote today is convenient, isn't it? On the day when the so-called saviour of the Tory party, Boris Johnson, the man they all cheered for, the serial—how shall I say this—fibber, who promised us £350 million a week for the NHS if we voted for Brexit, the man who told us all to stay at home when he partied, denying people the opportunity to say their final goodbyes to their loved ones—[Interruption.]