2. Urgent Question: Local Health Board Overspends

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:21 pm on 28 March 2017.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 2:21, 28 March 2017

I thank the Member for the follow-up comments and questions. I think looking at these four particular organisations, and then trying to say there’s a judgment on the whole system just on the basis of these four, is not taking a whole-system approach. Actually, when you look at the six out of 10 organisations that are in balance, that is partly as a consequence of the new regime that we have. What I’ve been very clear about is that we’re not going to cover over the fact that these four health boards are not going to live within their means within this year, and there’s got to be an exercise in financial discipline and clarity about that. And that goes into your point about accountability. I don’t think the somewhat cheap shot about saying you should take allowances away from board members is a particularly helpful way forward for a real and serious challenge that we have. I expect the service and the system to take seriously the financial challenges that we face. Every single country within the United Kingdom faces a real and serious challenge about funding the health service. We know the consequences of continued austerity and what that does for our public services. We know that putting extra money in the budget that this Assembly has passed into the NHS comes at a real cost to other parts of public funding. That is why I have been very clear over an extended period of time that the health service has a real responsibility to live within its means. That’s why I’ve been very clear that we expect a significant improvement in financial planning and management that will not compromise patient care.