FMQs: Welsh Government “running out of excuses” on A&E performance

The below is the another in our now regular summaries of this week’s First Minister Questions session from Cardiff Bay. First Minister Questions takes place every Tuesday when the Assembly is sitting and can be watched live via Senedd.tv.

For those who have never ventured onto the Senedd site, you can view the session the below was taken from here, that displays a video of the meeting (along with creation of your own clips!) plus by clicking the ‘meeting information and papers’ link you are able to view all the supporting documentation, along with a link to the full transcript.

This week was an unusual FMQs as the First Minister himself was absent, attending instead an event marking the 50th anniversary of the Prince of Wales’ investiture, which was being held at Buckingham Palace.

Wrexham’s AM, and the Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs Minister, Lesley Griffiths stood in and took questions with the proverbial First Minster hat on.

“Fully-fledged crisis” in A&E?

Putting aside his obvious displeasure about the First Minister’s absence, Adam Price AM (Plaid, Carms. E. & Dinefwr), compared A&E waiting time performance in Wales and Scotland.

According to the latest figures, in Scotland, fewer than 200 people waited longer than 12 hours in A&E; in Wales, 5,264 people waited longer than 12 hours. There were similar figures for the 4-hour waiting time target.

He believed the Welsh Government’s reasons didn’t stand up to scrutiny:

“What I would have asked (the First Minister), and now we’ll ask you instead, is are running out of excuses for the crisis in A&E?….Vaughan Gething (Health Minister) claimed winter stomach bugs were putting additional strain on the NHS…..the (health boards) which have provided us with data have shown this year’s numbers are not noticeably different from last year. Indeed, Betsi Cadwaladr – the worst performing health board for A&E – is treating fewer cases of winter stomach bugs this year that the previous two years.”
– Adam Price AM

The Minister said A&E admissions were 9% higher in January 2019 than January 2015 and on one weekend, one consultant said at the University Hospital in Cardiff “… had over 10 people who were near the age of 100—over 90 years of age, but nearer 100, and she was saying that was unprecedented. So, clearly, the ageing population is also having an impact.”

Adam Price AM went on, “It is significant that colleagues of yours—Labour MPs at Westminster—consider the waiting times statistics for England in A&E so bad they have called for an independent inquiry.

Given that the figures for Wales are even worse than in England, will you join with Jon Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health Secretary at Westminster, and demand that an independent inquiry should be held in Wales as well?”

Lesley Griffiths AM replied “In January 2019, 14 of 24 emergency care facilities reported an improvement on January 2018, or the same level of performance.

That includes seven of our 13 major emergency departments. Four of the seven health boards reported better performance in January 2019 compared with January 2018.

I think we have to accept that the majority of people who access A&E are seen within the time, are receiving the best treatment. Some don’t, and those are the people that we need to continue to support.”

“Shockingly small” percentage of addicts stay clean after undergoing NHS treatment

Leader of the Opposition, Paul Davies AM (Con, Preseli Pembs.), revealed that just 13.5% of substance abusers who undergo NHS treatment in Wales remain ‘clean’ at the end of their course of treatment.

He accused the Welsh Government of having misplaced priorities:

“Now, my visit to the excellent Brynawel rehab centre recently….showed me how desperately help is needed for some of the most vulnerable in our society from centres like this. Just last month, the Health Minister dismissed calls to address the need for residential care, but despite pledging to ringfence £50 million for health boards to back substance misuse services, centres similar to Brynawel ha
ve closed across the country. And when tackled on the subject last month by a member of your own party, the Minister failed to commit to supporting what he described as really, a useful facility.”
– Leader of the Opposition, Paul Davies AM

The Minister said she was well aware of the “excellent” work being undertaken at Brynawel after a visit herself, adding she didn’t believe the Health Minister dismissed the matter in the way Paul Davies described.

Nonetheless, she accepted there was a need to address postcode lotteries on substance abuse treatment and, at a national level, measures like minimum alcohol pricing would reduce the harm caused by excess drinking.

188% increase in funding for youth services (though check the small print)

Following the first meeting of the Welsh Youth Parliament towards the end of February, it was fitting that John Griffiths AM (Lab, Newport East) asked about youth services.

He said he was more than aware that councils have had to make cuts to youth services due to austerity, but welcomed new funding announced by the Welsh Government in the 2019-20 budget. So did the Minister:

“….it’s a 188% increase in the funding for next year…..I mentioned the interim youth work board that has been set up, that was appointed back in October 2018 and it’s already met five times. I understand it’s in discussions with Lynne Neagle ( Chair of the Children & Young People Committee) to make sure the recommendations from her committee are brought to fruition. The board’s remit included the development of a new youth work strategy for Wales. It’s going to recommend a new sustainable model for youth work and certainly, we’ll be working with all our partners.”
– Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs Minister,
Lesley Griffiths

Suzy Davies AM (Con, South Wales West) did, however, point out that recommendations from the Children’s Commissioner – that health-related advocacy should be available to all who need it – hasn’t been met three years after the recommendation was made.

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