Meetings

The Committee considered correspondence from the petitioner and agreed to close the petition.  In doing so, Members wished to convey their thanks for bringing the petition forward and to make the petitioner aware of the opportunity to bring forward another petition in the future should she wish to do so.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to continue to maintain a watching brief.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·         ask the Minister to keep the Committee closely informed of any further developments in this area and maintain a watching brief; and 

·         in doing so, ask the Minister to consider and clarify how he will change the process for future consultations to ensure that the views and experience of those directly affected are captured. 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

1.   ask the petitioner to keep the Committee informed of developments following contact with the Minister’s officials and consider the petition again following an update from the petitioner; and

2.   write to the Minister asking him to consider widening future similar consultations to those directly affected. 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write urgently to the Minister to:

·         pass on the petitioner’s comments and ask what steps were taken to involve the petitioner in the Task and Finish Groups and consultation as indicated in the letter of 3 August; and

·         ask whether it is still possible to take the petitioner’s views into account.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·         ask the Minister for an update on the progress of the review of Continuing NHS Healthcare Framework; and

·         once the response is received consider highlighting the petition to the Health and Social Care Committee.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to

·         seek the petitioner’s views on the Ministerial correspondence; and

·         await the consultation on the review of the framework.

Members discussed the evidence session on 2 July and agreed to write to the Minister for Health and Social Services, copying in the Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, asking that the petitioner is included in discussions with stakeholders about the development of the framework and highlighting the issues raised in the oral evidence.

Helen Jones – Lead petitioner

Tony Alexander – Advocate with the Alzheimers Society

Lisa Morgan – Hugh James, Solicitors

Helen Jones, Tony Alexander and Lisa Morgan answered questions from the Committee.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to;

·         write to the Minister for Health and Social Services highlighting that the Alzheimer’s Society support the petitioner’s call for a severe level to be added to the Decision Support Tool and ask if he intends to honour the previous Minister’s commitment to review the Continuing Healthcare framework, and the timeframe for such a review;

·         write to the Wales Audit Office asking for a copy of their report into Continuing Healthcare when it is published;

·         seek a response from Dementia UK; and

·         invite the petitioner to give oral evidence.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to:

·         the Minister for Health and Social Services;

·         Dementia UK; and

·         Alzheimer’s Society seeking their views on the petition.

The Committee may invite the petitioner to give oral evidence in the future.