Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care – in the Senedd at 2:35 pm on 1 May 2024.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 2:35, 1 May 2024

Thanks very much. We've actually got a whole strategy around this. It's called the six goals programme. It's a very comprehensive programme, and it's made a huge difference already. So, I know it may not feel like that, but if you think about things like the 111 system, which meant that 90,000 people were diverted from potentially going to A&E in just one month, in February, that gives you a kind of idea of new initiatives that have been introduced. We also have urgent primary care centres that have been introduced; we have same-day emergency care centres that have also been introduced.

And of course, if you're talking about priorities, I've made it very clear that one of my key priorities is to get the waiting lists down. I spend a huge amount of work really trying to delve into the detail of where the problems are. I've spoken to Besti just this morning about some of the really difficult issues that they're confronting in particular areas. Of course, part of the problem is these delayed transfers of care. We work very closely with local government to see if we can work together on that, because it is a joint responsibility. But there are too many people in our hospitals who are ready for discharge but who can't be discharged, and that's a challenge for us, but it's also a challenge for local government. And certainly, working hand in hand with councils is absolutely critical, and that's what we do, certainly through the winter months, on a fortnightly basis.