Agenda and minutes

1.1.      No apologies were received.

2.1.    The Committee noted the response from the Minister for Health and Social Services to its letter.

2.2.    Committee Members agreed that the Chair should write to the Minister on the following matters:

• to request clarification on timescales for the delivery of carotid surgery;
• to express the Committee’s hope that the Minister would consider bringing forward the start time of the targeted campaign on stroke awareness, outlined as 2014/15 in the letter.

Velindre NHS Trust

Professor Peter Barrett-Lee, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Medical Director.

Royal College of Radiologists Standing Welsh Committee

Dr Richard Clements, Chair of the Standing Welsh Committee,  Consultant Radiologist, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board;

Dr Martin Rolles, Secretary of the Standing Welsh Committee, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board.

3.1.    The witnesses responded to questions from Committee members.

Royal College of Physicians

Dr Alan Rees, Vice President for Wales.

Welsh Association for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy

Dr Miles Allison, Consultant Physician and Clinical Director of Gastroenterology, Vice President, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.

Royal College of Surgeons

Jared Torkington, Consultant Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgeon, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

4.1.    The witnesses responded to questions from Committee members.

4.2.    Leighton Andrews AM requested a note from the Welsh Government on the example cited by Jared Torkington of a training scheme introduced in Wales for laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

Royal College of General Practitioners

Dr Nazia Hussain, Royal College of General Practitioners Wales

5.1.    The witness responded to questions from Committee members.

5.2.    Dr Nazia Hussain indicated that she would provide:

• a note on how the Royal College of General Practitioners considers the voice of patients in developing its approaches to technologies and innovation, and how the College believes the voice of patients should be considered in the appraisal and commissioning process;
• a note clarifying whether the use of medical technologies does or will form part of the revalidation process for GPs.

6.1.    The Committee noted the minutes of its meeting on 6 March 2014.

Members noted their significant disappointment about the premature disclosure of the findings of the Committee’s report on the work of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.

Members discussed a ministerial statement that had been issued that morning relating to new arrangements for dealing with serious concerns about NHS services and organisations. Members queried the timing of the statement given its relevant to the Committee’s report on the work of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. It was clarified after the meeting that the statement emanated from work undertaken by the Wales Audit Office and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales about governance arrangements in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

7.1.    The Committee agreed the Motion.