NDM7244 Plaid Cymru Debate - NHS Performance

NDM7244 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the latest NHS performance statistics and regrets the continued failure to achieve performance targets across a range of specialities and services.

2. Regrets the cancellation of planned operations to deal with winter pressures and believes it is possible to plan for dealing with winter pressures whilst ensuring routine procedures continue.

3. Believes that staff in the NHS and social care should be congratulated for their performance under difficult circumstances.

4. Believes that improvements in the NHS can only be sustained in the long run if:

a) social care services have parity of esteem with the NHS, and regrets that social care services have been under-funded at the expense of the NHS;

b) substantial investment in services that prevent ill health takes place;

c) improvements to working conditions and workforce planning take place to improve recruitment and retention of NHS and social care staff.

The following amendments have been tabled:

Amendment 1 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Add as new point after point 2 and renumber accordingly:

Regrets that some Welsh health boards are delaying recruitment due to financial pressures which is exacerbating poor performance and pressure on frontline staff.

Amendment 2 - Rebecca Evans (Gower)

Delete point 4 and replace with:

Recognises the impact a decade of unjust UK driven austerity has on the resources available to fund public services including health and social care and believes that improvements in the NHS can only be sustained in the long run if:

a) NHS and social care work together as equal partners;

b) investment continues across both systems to support people to stay well and out of hospital;

c) there remains a focus on the recruitment, retention and wellbeing of our health and care workforce supported by the joint health and social care workforce strategy.

[If Amendment 2 is agreed amendments 3 and 4 will be de-selected]

Amendment 3 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

In point 4 (a) delete ', and regrets that social care services have been under-funded at the expense of the NHS'.

Amendment 4 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Insert as new sub-point at end of point 4:

'the artificial barriers between mental and physical health are removed.'

Amendment 5 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Add as new point at end of motion:

Welcomes the opportunities to invest additional resources into the Welsh NHS and social care services to boost performance as a result of real terms increases in the Welsh block grant.