Posted: Thu 7th Feb 2019

First Minister’s Questions: North Wales AM tells First Minister of his 12 hour wait in Wrexham Maelor A&E

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This article is old - Published: Thursday, Feb 7th, 2019

The below is the another in a new quick weekly summary of this week’s First Minister Questions session from Cardiff Bay. First Minister Questions takes place every Tuesday when the Assembly is sitting and can be watched live via Senedd.tv.

For those who have never ventured onto the Senedd site, you can view the session the below was taken from here, that allows a video player (along with creation of your own clips!) plus by clicking the ‘meeting information and papers’ link you are able to view all the supporting documentation, along with a link to the full transcript.

Health Service Waiting Times across North Wales

The first question was from Janet Finch-Saunders AM who asked “Will the First Minister make a statement on health service waiting times across north Wales?”

The First Minister replied: “Despite increased demand, there has been a reduction over the last year of nearly 30 per cent in the number of people waiting over 36 weeks for treatment in Betsi Cadwaladr. Further work, however, is required and is being undertaken in order to bring all waiting times within Welsh Government targets.”

After being prompted to find a question in a long preamble, Janet Finch-Saunders AM asked: “As the First Minister with ultimate responsibility, is it not time now that you started to take more of a hold on what’s going on in this health board, and perhaps look at a better way of managing the direct interventions into this health board?”

The First Minister replied: “I continue to take a direct interest in everything that goes on in the health service, including in north Wales. At the time that Betsi Cadwaladr was put into special measures, there were real concerns about its maternity services. Those have improved and are no longer regarded as in need to be in special measures.

“There were real concerns about out-of-hours services, which have improved significantly. There were concerns about delayed transfers of care, and they were down by 22 per cent in November and 24 per cent in December.

“There are many things that are getting better in Betsi Cadwaladr, but we recognise that there are people who wait too long for treatment, despite the fact that 36-week waits are down, 26-week waits are down, and the median waiting time for treatment in the health board is 8.4 weeks from the point that someone is referred for treatment to the point when that treatment has been carried out. ”

Llyr Gruffydd AM said the Red Cross was going in to help in A&E departments in some Welsh hospitals adding a local experience: “You may say that the general picture is improving, but I’m going to have to speak from experience here, First Minister.

“I was referred to A&E in Wrexham Maelor last Monday. I got there at 5 o’clock in the afternoon and I wasn’t seen until five in the morning—12 hours I waited in A&E. Yes, it does happen regularly, and the picture being portrayed here is one of improvements being made.

“Perhaps there are improvements on a general level, but my response is that there are some unacceptable experiences that people still have to go through. ”

The First Minister replied: “I recognise, as I told Janet Finch-Saunders, that some people wait too long in emergency departments over the winter. They have come under pressure, of course, and there are many things we want to do with the board to improve the situation in the north.”

Waiting is the hardest part

Leader of the Opposition, Paul Davies AM (Con, Preseli Pembs.) asked when a decision was due on the Newport M4 bypass.

“It’s quite clear that, despite £44 million of taxpayers’ money being spent on the inquiry into solutions for the M4 relief road, the details are now gathering dust on your desk, First Minister, given that it has been months since the report was published. Your Government is continuing to drag its heels on finding a viable solution, and the uncertainty that this is creating is hurting Welsh businesses and is damaging investment.”
– Leader of the Opposition, Paul Davies AM

The First Minister said he understood the frustration of AMs that a decision hasn’t been taken sooner, but the inspector’s report is still being worked on by Welsh Government officials. He expects “the right legal advice” to be with him be fore too long and won’t give any further answers without that advice in front of him.

He wasn’t happy at being accused by the Conservatives of dithering when scores of infrastructure projects in Wales have been cancelled by their party.

First Minister “won’t be drawn into speculation” on senior civil servant’s future

Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price AM (Plaid, Carms. E. & Dinefwr), brought up Martin Shipton’s exclusive last week that the head of the civil service in Wales, Shan Morgan, has been asked to stand down.

He said either the story’s true – in which case the Permanent Secretary has grounds for constructive dismissal – or it’s not and it’s a deliberate attempt to undermine here. Which was the case? Was this, instead of being a “Night of the Long Knives” or a “Night of the Short Memories?”

There was a flat denial from the First Minister; nothing to see here:

“I’m not going to be drawn into speculation about how other people may have come across information they think they have and so on. What I will do is simply report the direct conversations that I have had with the individual that the Member has named, and I give him this assurance absolutely that the things that he has read in the newspaper have never once arisen in any conversation that I have had with the Permanent Secretary….”
– First Minister, Mark Drakeford (Lab, Cardiff West)

Administrative devolution of welfare

In what seems to be a shift in Welsh Government policy, Huw Irranca-Davies AM (Lab, Ogmore), asked for an update on the administrative devolution of welfare. He thought it would better align with government priorities on poverty – though best done with due diligence and due care.

Leanne Wood AM (Plaid, Rhondda) was pleased by the shift in policy tone and austerity was asked for the Welsh Government to learn lessons from how the SNP have mitigated against Westminster-led austerity through welfare administration powers.

David Melding AM (Con, South Wales Central) struck a more cautious tone:

“….since 1945, the social contract that’s been the bedrock of the welfare state is that a citizen has a direct relationship with the state for a level of economic security and, no matter where he or she lives in the United Kingdom, they have the same basic economic rights to benefits. If we mess about with this principle, we could end up breaking that consensus we currently enjoy and that sustains a welfare state.”
– David Melding AM

The First Minister confirmed that the case for administrative devolution will be explored further and committee work will feed into that. There were already a number of areas that could be considered welfare-related where the Welsh Government has taken action in relation to council tax (council tax benefit, absolving care leavers from paying council tax and removing the penalty of imprisonment for non-payment).

In response to Leanne Wood, he believed there was much to learn from the Scottish experience.

The First Minister didn’t want to see a break-up of the welfare system with different payments in different parts of the UK, it was more about the system itself and how it was delivered on the ground.


Keep up to date with what is going on in the Senedd via SeneddHome.com

 



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