Primary care is responsible for over 90 per cent of patient contacts with the health system, yet it continues to be underfunded, and the percentage of funding that goes to primary care has shrunk significantly over the past 20 years. As I’ve mentioned several times, this is highlighted in the fact that we are over 600 GPs short of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average here in Wales, without any indication that this is about to be rectified. Indeed, NHS Wales lost 51 GPs between September 2023 and March 2024 alone.

Now, remedying these issues is not going to be easy, and it will not happen overnight, but here are some short-term measures, informed by our discussions with health professionals, that could ease some of the most immediate pressures. First, it was noted that the persistent inability to book an appointment online in practices in Wales is a particular barrier to having a more efficient appointments system. Could the Cabinet Secretary therefore confirm whether the Welsh Government is considered setting aside specific funding to support the cost of introducing online appointment systems on a wider scale? Video consultation systems, such as the Babylon system, have significant potential to foster greater flexibility in staff and patient contact, but it's clearly underused here, particularly compared with GP practices in England. Why? What measures is the Government taking to promote the use of such technologies?

Consultant nurses have a role to play, but since the Government withdrew funding for this role back in 2008 their numbers have fallen. Is there any intention to reintroduce a budget in order to employ more, or at least to create a career path for nurses to develop into consultant nurses and to develop these skills in Wales?

Finally, the Royal College of General Practitioners has called for the roles of care navigators to be upgraded to improve patients' understanding of the triage process, to ensure that time is not wasted in redirecting patients to the appropriate level of care. Is this something that is being considered in the Government's plan for primary care?

Turning now to the issue of community care, the regional partnership boards are clearly an important element of delivery in the context of the regional integration fund and the Further, Faster programme. But professionals say that the remits of the regional partnership boards are too unclear and that they don't succeed in fostering collaboration across health boards and local authorities. Now, in response to a question from me last week, the Cabinet Secretary mentioned that there is no need for legislation to place the boards on a statutory basis, because a ministerial directive can compel more systematic regional collaboration anyway. So, could the Cabinet Secretary explain why the ministerial directive is not working, at least not so far? 

The Further, Faster programme also identifies the need to engage with the third sector to increase the number of community co-ordinators and referral options. But this ambition will inevitably be entirely undermined by the UK Government's decision to increase employers' national insurance contributions, with no guarantee from the Treasury of refunds for third sector organisations and GP practices. The Welsh branch of Marie Curie, for example, which is a key partner in the provision of palliative care, is looking at an increase of over £0.25 million in the next year, and the Tenovus charity is in a very similar position. The BMA has also warned of the possibility that GP surgeries will close as a result of these measures, which is not at all surprising when we consider that surgeries such as the Treflan Surgery in my constituency face an additional £19,000 in costs.

So, in order to provide some much-needed clarity to these organisations for them to survive during this challenging time, could the Cabinet Secretary confirm the total additional costs that third sector organisations and relevant GPs are expecting to pay? Thank you.