Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm really pleased today to update Members on the development of the national immunisation framework and the incredible work that has been going on in recent months to create a vaccination system for Wales that is fit for the future. According to the World Health Organization, vaccination is one of the best health investments money can buy and it helps to prevent up to 3 million deaths a year worldwide.

We all remember the joy and the relief that came with the COVID-19 vaccine. It's impossible to overstate the impact that vaccination programme has had on all our lives. But it's not over. Today, I'm delighted to report that the COVID-19 spring booster programme will end this week. It has delivered well over 0.25 million vaccinations. The spring programme came hot on the heels of the winter respiratory vaccination programme, which ran from last September until 31 March. So, what that means is that for 10 consecutive months we've been offering the protection of COVID-19 vaccination to the most vulnerable in our communities, and this was the third consecutive year our NHS delivered a COVID programme as well as the flu programme, at pace and under pressure. Over 12 million doses of COVID-19 and flu vaccination have been administered to the people of Wales since 2020, in a population of just over 3 million people. This is something we could never have envisaged before the pandemic, and I’d like to express my sincere thanks to everyone involved.

Critical to the success of the programme has been the engagement of the public in coming forward for their vaccines. I’m so grateful to people for that, but we cannot and we must not take that engagement for granted.

It was the huge success of the COVID-19 vaccination programme that set us on the journey of reform that is described in the national immunisation framework. I want Wales to have a world-leading approach to vaccinations that ensures that, at every stage of life, our citizens are protected from diseases that could lead to serious illness or death. But I must be clear: a one-size-fits-all approach will never be suitable for vaccinations. That said, our ambition is to create a system where a national approach is adopted when and where appropriate. This will be a system that has a relentless focus on removing inequities to ensure that every citizen enjoys the health protection benefits provided by our vaccination programmes.

To develop the system I describe, I've provided the NHS Executive with funding to establish a team to oversee the operational delivery of all vaccination programmes. The new system has partnership working at its heart. The speed with which we established our mpox vaccination programme in response to last year’s outbreak is an example of how our transformed system can deliver quickly for the people of Wales.

A core aim of the national immunisation framework is to develop the digital infrastructure needed to deliver an effective and efficient vaccination system that works seamlessly for practitioners and for patients alike. This work will be crucial to the successful delivery of the framework, and, I must be frank with you, we have a long way to go. But I'm pleased to say that discovery work is well under way, and I expect to see plans for how this work can be progressed very soon. 

Using the learning from the pandemic, and acknowledging the level of risk currently held by general practice for the current model of flu vaccine procurement, I have made a commitment to introduce a centralised procurement model. Again, this is going to be a complex piece of work, which will be developed and delivered in partnership, but I'm hopeful it will be possible to introduce the new model in time for the 2025 flu season.