2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport – in the Senedd at on 7 December 2016.
Mike Hedges
Labour
10. Will the Minister provide an update on the ‘A Regional Collaboration for Health’ programme? OAQ(5)0080(HWS)
Vaughan Gething
Labour
3:07,
7 December 2016
Thank you for the question. The Welsh Government is supporting Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board and Hywel Dda Local Health Board, together with Swansea University and Trinity university in the development of a strategic business case, which we expect to be completed in the spring of next year.
Mike Hedges
Labour
Can I thank you for that response? I am also supportive of the principle of closer working between the two health boards and the two universities. I want to highlight the importance of Morriston Hospital as a regional centre for the area covered by the two health boards. What progress is being made on greater use of the hub-and-spoke model that has worked so well in renal services and could be applicable to other services, such as the orthodontic service that was discussed earlier?
Vaughan Gething
Labour
There’s real learning to take from renal services within south-west and mid and west Wales. Investments are being made across the patch in terms of the dialysis provision, but, in particular, I think it’s a useful opportunity to highlight that there’s genuine UK-wide leading practice taking place within the renal unit in Morriston, in particular dialysis at home and overnight dialysis as well. It makes a really big difference to individuals. If they’re able to dialyse at home, they get a much better quality in terms of the outcomes of their patient care, and particularly so for those people who are younger and those people who have the most active lives, and for parents, with the ability not to have their normal day-to-day life or working life interrupted by the need to go into a dialysis centre during the day. So, there’s an awful lot to learn about the way that’s already been developed.
I’ve been really clear with the health service that this greater collaboration between health boards on the delivery of services across health board areas is part of what we need to see developed and progressed and implemented across the whole healthcare system within NHS Wales. So, there is lots of learning to take, and I’m generally encouraged by the progress that’s already been made by the two health boards and the university partners.
Elin Jones
Plaid Cymru
3:09,
7 December 2016
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary.
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
