2. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that people with Crohn’s and colitis are diagnosed as quickly as possible? OQ60621

Llywydd, in Wales, we have in place a nationally agreed and standardised pathway for the investigation of inflammatory bowel disease. All health boards use this as the basis for services that respond to people presenting with symptoms of the disease.

Diolch, First Minister. As we know, there are over 26,000 people in Wales living with Crohn's and colitis—lifelong, chronic conditions of the gut—with one in four diagnosed before the age of 30. There is no cure, but, with early intervention and the right treatment, the conditions can be managed. However, before the pandemic, over one in four—so , that's 26 per cent—waited more than a year for a diagnosis, with two in five attending accident and emergency departments. One young woman described her journey as a bit of a battle. She explained how many doctors turned her away because they didn't believe she was in pain, as she experienced stomach cramps throughout her GCSEs that kept getting worse. After a year, she was finally diagnosed with Crohn's, describing her diagnosis journey as frustrating and feeling helpless, as it seemed the doctors did not take it seriously until she was in agonising pain. First Minister, will the Welsh Government explore what more can be done to improve public awareness of these symptoms and also improve awareness amongst healthcare professionals? Diolch.

Llywydd, I thank Sarah Murphy for that. I think she makes a very important point in the final part of her supplementary question—that there is a great deal that needs to be done to help people understand the nature of their symptoms, and, of course, to help healthcare professionals who end up assessing those symptoms, because this is an area where there is genuine diagnostic uncertainty. Many of the things that turn out to be colitis or Crohn's disease look like all sorts of other conditions that aren't that at all. A general practitioner will always, as their professional training would lead them to, look first at the most obvious explanation for what they see in front of them, and that's not likely to be a Crohn's or colitis diagnosis. So, managing diagnostic uncertainty is an inevitable feature of this condition. But there is more that can be done to persuade, particularly young people—and, as Sarah Murphy said, Llywydd, these are conditions that emerge quite early on in people's lives—and that people recognise those symptoms for what they might be. And then, through the work of our national clinical lead, Dr Barney Hawthorne—recently retired and soon to be replaced—we have now in primary care in Wales consistent access to the key test that gives GPs the best understanding of whether or not this is some other condition they are seeing or whether it is someone who is suffering from Crohn's and colitis. We've put a lot of effort in recent years into advice that helps patients themselves to understand the condition and to manage the condition. And the work that is done by Crohn's and Colitis UK, in their earlier diagnosis campaign, and the other educative work they do, we know is of a genuinely excellent standard. And the way the Welsh Government intends to go on promoting better awareness, greater take-up of the help that is available, is to work closely with those third sector partners.

I think it's a very important question that was asked by Sarah Murphy today, because, for those that are waiting for diagnosis or support, it's a very difficult period of their lives, and debilitating. Can you just outline, First Minister, how you are particularly supporting, or the Welsh Government is particularly supporting, those who are waiting to be diagnosed, or those who are waiting for further support or treatment, because often those waits can be long, as has been pointed out, and it's about supporting people as they go through their wait in terms of getting a diagnosis or getting further treatment?

I thank Russell George for that. I think there are three things that could be said in answer to the point that he makes. First of all is the fact that we have a nationally agreed and standardised pathway. That is very important because it means that people, wherever they present in the system, are likely to get the same level of care. Secondly is the fact that we have made available in primary care consistent access to the key test that GPs need. And then thirdly is the investment we are making in endoscopy services, because some of the delays in diagnosis and the reason why people wait are because it relies on endoscopy, and we know that there is more that needs to be done to speed up the availability and accessibility of diagnostic services in Wales.