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Category: Wales

  • Julie Morgan – 2022 Statement on Childcare Offer for Wales National Digital Service

    Julie Morgan – 2022 Statement on Childcare Offer for Wales National Digital Service

    The statement made by Julie Morgan, the Welsh Deputy Minister for Social Services, in the Welsh Parliament on 31 October 2022.

    Through the Childcare Offer for Wales, the Welsh Government provides 30 hours a week of funded childcare and early education for three and four-year-olds, 48 weeks of the year. This enables parents to go to work or increase their working hours. We have extended the offer to parents studying on many higher and further education courses.

    We are making a further significant investment in this policy area by developing an all-Wales digital service, to make accessing the Childcare Offer even easier and providing a more consistent experience across Wales. The new service will also simplify the processes childcare providers have had to follow to claim payments via the different local authority systems. It will streamline administration of the Childcare Offer for local authorities, bringing efficiencies of scale.

    The application window for the January 2023 uptake of funded childcare will start on 7 November, and that is the point at which the new digital service will open to parents. Local authority legacy services for delivering the Offer will continue until August 2023 for parents already in receipt of the Offer.

    While the Childcare Offer national digital service will only be available online, a range of offline support options will be available to people to enable them to interact with the online service, for example by phone or through face-to-face support.

    As the service is available via devices connected to the internet, people will be able to access the service via free-to-access devices in public libraries.

    In moving to the national digital service, we have worked closely with all 22 local authorities, and with parents and childcare providers across Wales, to develop the digital platform and support service. Over the summer a controlled test of the new service was undertaken in live conditions, producing positive results and feedback.

    As a result, all childcare settings providing Childcare Offer hours have been invited to register onto the new platform by the end of October. Local authority staff have been supporting them to do this since early September.

    This statement is being issued during recess to keep Members informed. Should Members wish us to make a further statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns we would be happy to do so.

  • Jane Hutt – 2022 Statement on Ukraine

    Jane Hutt – 2022 Statement on Ukraine

    The statement made by Jane Hutt, the Minister for Social Justice in the Welsh Government, on 25 October 2022.

    Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Thank you for providing an opportunity for me to give an update to Members about our ongoing work to support people from Ukraine seeking sanctuary in Wales. When I last updated you in September, Wales had welcomed just over 5,600 Ukrainians in Wales under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, including under our supersponsor route.

    Arrivals have continued, but at a much slower pace in recent weeks. Just under 6,000 Ukrainians sponsored by the Welsh Government and Welsh households had arrived in Wales by 18 October, and there have been additional arrivals under the Ukraine family scheme, but we are not given that data by the UK Government. More than 8,300 visas have now been granted to people from the Ukraine who have sponsors in Wales, so we can expect the number of arrivals to continue to grow steadily in the coming weeks, and we are mindful that events in Ukraine can have a direct impact on the number of Ukrainians who may arrive in Wales. We deplore the latest attempts by Putin to try to break the will of the Ukrainian people. We are continuing to work with the Home Office to ascertain the likelihood of the additional 1,600 individuals we have sponsored arriving in Wales, so that we can properly plan for providing accommodation and wraparound support.

    In recent weeks, we have been considering the offer that we make to Ukrainians who we support in our accommodation under the supersponsor route. I and other Ministerial colleagues have visited many of our accommodation sites and received feedback directly from Ukrainian guests and the dedicated staff who are helping us to provide assistance. We want to help people to transition from a supportive welcome to active integration as quickly as possible.

    We believe that we can enhance personal independence and support people to move on to the next stage of their lives in Wales by revisiting our wraparound support offer. We will be aligning our initial accommodation offer much more closely to the support that would be received in other forms of temporary accommodation, and this will encourage guests to contribute to costs via earnings or universal credit wherever possible, after an initial short period. I have also engaged with my Scottish Government counterpart, Minister Neil Gray MSP, and I understand that they will be taking a very similar approach, as we learn from each others’ experiences in our response as supersponsors.

    Our supersponsor route is a key part of Wales’s response to the Europe-wide humanitarian crisis. We must ensure that we are steadfast in our commitment to supporting Ukraine and displaced Ukrainians living in Wales, despite the increased cost pressures we’re all experiencing. The support we provide here will have an impact on the family and friends still defending Ukraine. The changes we make will carefully balance helping people to be more independent, to move on to alternative accommodation more quickly, and to ensure that we have the finances we need to fulfil our commitment to the Ukrainians we have sponsored.

    As well as my visits to welcome centres, I recently attended the Ukraine arts festival and the new Cardiff Ukraine centre. In each case, I have been struck by the desire and ability of Ukrainians, with a wide range of skills and experience, to integrate and join the workforce as quickly as possible. Many Ukrainians are already working, including a sizable proportion of those in our initial accommodation.

    We need to be conscious that initial accommodation should be a short-term provision, with our guests supported to move on to longer term accommodation as soon as practicable. We understand that our welcome centres, which are funded by the Welsh Government, are of a good quality—and we are proud of that—but they are not a long-term option for people, not least because roots cannot be properly established in communities in such temporary accommodation.

    Last time I updated you, I remarked upon the good working relationship we had with the previous UK Minister for Refugees, Lord Harrington, and my hopes for a similar relationship with his successor. I am sorry to have to report that we have had no engagement from UK Ministers on these issues since Lord Harrington’s resignation.

    But we are at a critical juncture in the UK Government Homes for Ukraine scheme. Welsh households who signed up as sponsors are at, or near, the six-month hosting milestone that represents the commitment they made to their guests at the point of application. These households have done an inspiring thing and embodied the nation of sanctuary vision in its truest sense. We know many did not plan to continue beyond six months, but we urge as many hosts as possible to consider hosting for a longer period if at all possible. Where that isn’t possible, we thank you for everything you have done for your guests and for us as a nation. For those that can continue, we have funded Housing Justice Cymru to provide advice, training, peer support and mediation services for hosts in Wales. More information can be found by calling 01654 550 550 or emailing UkraineHostSupport@housingjustice.org.uk.

    We know that hosts in Wales are struggling with cost-of-living pressures, and this is a major factor in deciding if they can continue. This is why I wrote to UK Ministers, with my Scottish ministerial counterpart, to urge a quick decision on increasing the ‘thank you’ host payment to at least £500 per month from the current level of £350. We are still waiting for an update on this. We do need an urgent decision to avert a wave of homelessness presentations as we move into November, and I again call upon the UK Government to act on this, as well as providing financial certainty for year 2 of the programme, supporting the unfunded ESOL provision and ensuring funding parity across the three Ukraine visa schemes.

    We are now communicating regularly with hosts and Ukrainian guests, with a monthly newsletter being sent from the Welsh Government, and we’ll build upon this with additional information sessions and participation opportunities. Alongside our funded third sector partners, we recently held an open information session, which I was glad to see around 180 people attended to hear more about our work; we are mobilising a Ukraine peer support group through Displaced People in Action; and we’ll also soon survey our Ukrainian guests to better understand their unmet skills and employment needs. Ukrainians are clearly integrating very well indeed, but we will continue to consider any action we can take to make this as effective and supportive as possible. Diolch.

  • Dawn Bowden – 2022 Statement on Her Visit to New Zealand

    Dawn Bowden – 2022 Statement on Her Visit to New Zealand

    The statement made by Dawn Bowden, the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, and Chief Whip, in the Welsh Government on 25 October 2022.

    I have recently returned from New Zealand in my role as Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport.

    The primary focus of my visit was to support the Wales women’s rugby team as they took on the hosts and current world champions, the Black Ferns, in their group match of the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Sunday 16 October.

    My visit helped raise the profile of Wales, both within the rugby community and beyond. Ahead of the game it was an honour to meet the playing squad and WRU staff to discuss the progress they have made over the past two years, whilst recognising there are opportunities for further investment and development in the women’s game.

    In the days leading up to the game, I had a full schedule of visits, meetings and events where shared experiences of sport, culture and heritage were explored.

    My first meeting was with the Māori Language Commission in Wellington to discuss shared pathways to the revitalisation for indigenous languages. I then met Peter Miskimmin, Sports Diplomacy Manager and former CEO of Sport New Zealand. We discussed sport diplomacy, inclusion and collaboration, and the economic and social benefits, in particular for smaller nations. The final meeting of my first day was with the High Commissioner at the British Consulate in New Zealand, Iona Thomas.

    On my second day in New Zealand, I had an opportunity to discuss the development of the women’s game with Traci Houpapa, professional director at Women in Rugby Aotearoa. This was followed by a meeting with Waikato University senior deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alister Jones to discuss the academic links between our two countries.

    I later met representatives of Healthy Active Learning and Active Me – Kia Tu. These are two programmes run by Sport New Zealand aiming to improve the quality of physical activity experiences of young people to promote wellbeing and support disadvantaged children into physical activity.

    I also had constructive meetings with Raelene Castle, CEO of Sport New Zealand, Rachel Froggatt and Raewyn Lovett, Secretary-General and Co-Chair respectfully of the International Working Group on Women in Sport. I had bilateral with Priyanca Radhakrishnan MP, Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities to discuss how our respective governments are seeking to address many of the challenging issues facing both nations.

    I travelled to Queenstown to visit Skyline Enterprises Ltd and the Shotover Jet – two adventure tourism attractions to see how Queenstown has used the natural landscape as a beautiful backdrop to successful enterprises.

    We are in discussion to bring an adventure tourism attraction from New Zealand to Wales and it was valuable for me to see first-hand one of its main attractions whilst also discussing the many parallels with our work in Wales in particular managing environmental obligations and incorporating native language as part of their strategies.

    This visit – at a time when the Welsh team is performing on the world sporting stage – is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that Wales is an outward looking nation, open for business and determined to maintain existing relationships and explore new avenues to strengthen the special friendship that exists between Wales and New Zealand.

  • Rebecca Evans – 2022 Comments on Impacts of Austerity on Wales

    Rebecca Evans – 2022 Comments on Impacts of Austerity on Wales

    The comments made by Rebecca Evans, the Welsh Minister for Finance and Local Government, on 25 October 2022.

    By announcing reckless uncosted tax cuts for the rich, the UK Government lost control of the economy. Now the new Chancellor wants us all to pay for its failures with deep spending cuts.

    We are facing a new damaging era of austerity, which would threaten jobs, businesses and public services.

    The Chancellor could protect public services by using his tax levers more fairly and increase investment to get the economy moving in the right direction. He could help people pay their bills by increasing benefits in line with inflation.

    As we look ahead to our Budget, we need the UK Government to take action to avoid the type of destructive austerity that will further damage our economy and the public services so many of us rely on.

  • Mark Drakeford – 2022 Answer to Andrew RT Davies in the Welsh Assembly

    Mark Drakeford – 2022 Answer to Andrew RT Davies in the Welsh Assembly

    The answer given by Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales, in the Welsh Assembly on 18 October 2022.

    Llywydd, the prescription of the Welsh Government is to invest more money in the ambulance service, to have more staff working in the ambulance service, to have a wider range of people able to provide those services and for ambulances to know that, when they arrive at hospitals, the hospital will be in a position to receive that patient so that the ambulance can get back on the road again and attend in a timely way to other people who are waiting. That is the prescription of the Welsh Government.35

    What do people who work in the service—? And as I say, they’ll have heard the way that the Member has described the service they provide this afternoon. What do they face? They—[Interruption.] He has chosen to use that language this afternoon, he didn’t—[Interruption.] And you have chosen to use that language here this afternoon. What do those people face? They face cuts to their pay because of the policy of your Government, and now they face cuts to the budgets that the health service itself will have at its disposal. It is shocking. It is absolutely shocking to me that you think that you can turn up here this afternoon, with the mess that your party has made of the budgets of this country, of the reputation of this country around the world, and that you promise those people that there will be more to come—[Interruption.] And you think you can turn up here this afternoon and claim some sort of moral high ground. What sort of world do you belong in?

  • Mark Drakeford – 2022 Comments on the Resignation of Liz Truss

    Mark Drakeford – 2022 Comments on the Resignation of Liz Truss

    The comments made by Mark Drakeford, the Welsh First Minister, on Twitter on 20 October 2022.

    This has been a complete and utter failure of government with everyone in this country now having to pay the price.

    The deep division within the UK Government means that any successor will face the same challenges.

    A #GeneralElection is now the only way forward for the country.

  • Rebecca Evans – 2022 Speech on Chancellor’s Statement on Medium Term Fiscal Plan

    Rebecca Evans – 2022 Speech on Chancellor’s Statement on Medium Term Fiscal Plan

    The speech made by Rebecca Evans, the Minister for Finance and Local Government in the Welsh Assembly, on 17 October 2022.

    In the wake of the ongoing turmoil caused by the mini-budget, the new Chancellor has now reversed most of the tax changes made a few short weeks ago in the hope of stabilising the financial markets and reducing the size of the hole fracturing public finances.

    The economic outlook was already challenging, as a result of EU exit, the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.

    But the perilous situation which the UK’s public finances are now in is inexcusable. This is a direct result of the flawed and reckless measures announced in the UK Government’s mini-budget on 23 September and which were the central pillar of the Prime Minister’s leadership campaign.

    The fall-out from the mini-budget has been mayhem in the financial markets; mortgage costs have risen sharply, as has the cost of government borrowing; the Bank of England has had to take extraordinary measures to prevent a collapse in pension funds; and household budgets have been stretched even further.

    Our economy and UK finances are now in a far worse situation than they were less than a month ago as a result.

    The Chancellor’s statement today has signalled a new era of austerity.

    Those hit hardest will be the households already struggling to make ends meet. Our public services are facing cuts, and jobs could be lost. The actions announced by the Chancellor will shrink the economy and make the recession deeper and last longer – the opposite of the so-called plan for growth.

    While the Chancellor stated the UK Government’s priority in making the difficult decisions that lie ahead will always be the most vulnerable, he offered nothing of comfort to them today. The announcement of changes to energy support only creates additional uncertainty for households and businesses which are already worrying about costs.

    The UK Government has repeatedly failed to take opportunities to improve our energy security for the future and address the climate emergency. It must be more ambitious on investment in green energy and decarbonisation.

    The Chancellor must use his 31 October statement to provide reassurance that we will not see spending cuts that will affect public services, jobs, and our economy. Instead, he has a real opportunity to provide much-needed support to the most vulnerable, funded by using the UK Government’s tax levers more equitably, including taxing the windfall gains in the energy sector.

    Inflation has already significantly eroded the Welsh Government’s budget settlement to worryingly low levels. This Statement continues to fall far short of what is needed to meet the very significant challenges faced by our public services and workers. The UK Government must provide us with the additional budget flexibilities to support our response in Wales.

    While we will not be able to protect people and services from the full force of the UK Government’s actions, we will do everything we can to help households, services and businesses through this crisis.

    We will publish the Welsh Government’s Budget on 13 December and provide a considered and careful response to the crisis taking into account the full fiscal forecast provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility to provide as much certainty as possible for our public services and partners.

    While our resources are limited, and today’s announcement will do nothing to alleviate the already challenging funding position facing the Welsh Government, our priority will be to shield the most vulnerable and create a stronger, fairer and greener Wales that safeguards the wellbeing of our future generations.

  • Eluned Morgan – 2022 Statement on Progress Implementing the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan

    Eluned Morgan – 2022 Statement on Progress Implementing the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan

    The statement made by Eluned Morgan, the Minister for Health and Social Services, on 14 October 2022.

    On 16 October, we mark Restart a Heart Day. Save a Life Cymru and its partners will be encouraging us to learn more about life-saving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), using defibrillators and knowing how to help when someone has a cardiac arrest.

    I want to use this opportunity to provide Members with a further update about progress to implement the Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan and Save a Life Cymru’s work.

    The Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Plan was launched in 2017 and we established the Save a Life Cymru partnership that brings together organisations across Wales to help develop the Welsh public’s CPR and defibrillation skills so people feel confident to help if they witness someone experiencing an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Last year we increased the funding for this life saving programme.

    Earlier this month a new save a Life Cymru campaign was launched. ‘Help is closer than you think’ (Cofia, mae help wrth law) which focuses on increasing people’s confidence to intervene in a cardiac arrest emergency by highlighting the importance of calling 999 immediately, as well as the support provided by the call handler to do CPR and locate a registered defibrillator until an ambulance arrives. A TV, radio and social media advertisement went live from Monday 10 October.

    Save a Life Cymru has recruited a clinical out-of-hospital cardiac arrest programme manager who is developing an all Wales CPR and defibrillator framework to help communities become rescue ready and have the right resources in the right place to help someone having a cardiac arrest. It has also recruited four Save a Life Cymru community support coordinators, one of whom is already in post, and it is hoped the remainder will be in post before the end of November. They are also currently advertising for two Save a Life Cymru community support team leader posts.

    Save a Life Cymru is working with a range of organisations to support people of all ages and backgrounds to learn CPR and defibrillation skills, including:

    • Continuing to develop their partnership with the Football Association of Wales to broaden the reach of teaching CPR in Wales.
    • Following a successful pilot, Cardiff University has rolled out its model for all medical students who are trained in CPR to train all first year students.
    • Supporting One Voice Wales, which represents community and town councils, employing a person to co-ordinate CPR and defibrillator activity in communities across Wales, including ensuring defibrillators are registered and in good working order.
    • Appointing, in conjunction with Cardiff Metropolitan University, a post-doctoral research fellow who will develop research projects to initiate improvements in Out of Hospital Cardiac arrest outcomes in Wales
    • Partnering with Ospreys Rugby medical team to help raise awareness of CPR and defibrillation among its audiences.
    •  Producing a bilingual educational leaflet to support community CPR
    • Providing CPR training at the Welsh Government stand in some national events such as the Urdd Eisteddfod and Royal Welsh Show
    • Supporting Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) to produce a bilingual Primary School resource, supported by BSL, which teaches children the sequence of CPR through song and dance.

    During 2021/22 I announced a further £1m to purchase 1,000 additional defibrillators which community groups and public organisation across Wales were able to apply for.  638 groups and organisations successfully applied for a defibrillator and so far about 238 have been installed in communities across Wales. There have been some delays in groups being able to purchase and install the cabinets so defibrillators are still being distributed.

    Communities and organisations which already have defibrillators are being encouraged to register them on The Circuit – more than 7164 are registered and now 72% have a guardian. We have seen a significant increase in the number registered and in the percentage with a guardian but there is still more work to be done.

    Additionally, the Welsh Ambulance Service partnered with GoodSAM app to improve mobilisation of clinically trained staff and volunteers to life-threatening emergency calls. So when an emergency call is received by the ambulance service and classified to be of a life-threatening nature, details will automatically be sent through to the GoodSAM app to alert the nearest approved volunteer responder. They will shortly be relaunching the GoodSAM app in Wales, which was paused during the pandemic, and this will open up being a GoodSAM responder to all eligible individuals who have signed up and been approved by GoodSAM and partner organisations. This will be a huge step forward in Wales.

    We have made substantial progress over the course of the last twelve months and have heard stories of the differences this work is making to people’s lives. We know that every second counts when someone goes into cardiac arrest. We can all help raise awareness of the importance of dialling 999 and giving early CPR and defibrillation.

  • Jane Hutt – 2022 Statement on Funding for Warm Hubs in Wales

    Jane Hutt – 2022 Statement on Funding for Warm Hubs in Wales

    The statement made by Jane Hutt, the Welsh Minister for Social Justice, on 12 October 2022.

    On 20th September we announced an initial £1m of funding to support Warm Hubs. Today I am announcing how that funding will be distributed and what it will be used for.

    With domestic fuel prices increasing, it is expected many people will struggle to keep their homes at a healthy temperature this winter, particularly those people at home all day, the elderly and the vulnerable. Many organisations including local authorities, community councils, faith groups, sports clubs, community centres are already setting up, or looking to set up, Warm Hubs within local communities. Warm Hubs are intended as places in local communities where people can find a safe, accessible and warm environment during the day to help reduce the cost of heating their own homes and to help those facing extreme fuel poverty this winter.

    Early discussions with stakeholders have indicated That Warm Hubs should be an inviting place to spend time. They should be open and inclusive and take into account local and cultural needs.

    Warm Hubs might offer:

    Refreshments and snacks (as a minimum) but may extend to a more substantive meal where relevant or possible.
    Advice and support services to those who attend, this can be for example advice and support on financial matters, health and well-being or digital accessibility.
    Activities such as exercise, or arts and cultural activity (subject to location and availability).
    Much of the expertise on where Warm Hubs should be placed, and what should be provided within Warm Hubs, rests within local communities. Local authorities working in partnership with the public sector, voluntary sector and community partners will be best placed to gauge and understand local needs, existing provision and to design and deliver local solutions.

    Funding for Warm Hubs will therefore be distributed via local authorities in Wales. Funding will be distributed in line with local authority agreed existing formula. As part of the funding local authorities will be required to engage with their local partners, including County Voluntary Councils (CVC’s), in the development of Warm Hubs and in the provision / distribution of funding at a local community level to local community groups wishing to operate / establish a Warm Hub.

    It is important that the approach to the delivery of Warm Hubs is joined up and meets local needs. In the same way that it is expected local authorities will work with local stakeholders, it is expected that any organisation wishing to put Warm Hub provision in place will contact their local authority or their local CVC to ensure they are delivering as part of the overall area approach and not duplicating local provision. It may be more appropriate in some places for organisations and volunteers to work with existing Warm Hubs rather than establish additional ones.

    For more information on the local arrangements for Warm Hubs and local funding, I would encourage people to contact their local authority to register their interest.

  • Eluned Morgan – 2022 Statement on Emergency Care Services for Winter in Wales

    Eluned Morgan – 2022 Statement on Emergency Care Services for Winter in Wales

    The statement made by Eluned Morgan, the Minister for Health and Social Services, on 11 October 2022.

    I am pleased to update Members on our planning approach to support resilient urgent and emergency care services this winter.

    It is likely the winter period will present additional challenges to an already stretched urgent and emergency care system if there are increases in prevalence of both COVID-19 and influenza, and within the context of the cost of living and energy crises. Members will know there are plans in progress focusing on COVID-19 and influenza vaccination, and additional support for vulnerable people most likely to feel the impact of rising costs this winter.

    Planning for seasonal peaks in pressure is a year-round exercise and development of interventions that will enable additional resilience commenced many months ago. Additionally, a winter planning framework has been issued to NHS Wales organisations and Regional Partnership Boards to support them to plan and deliver resilient urgent and emergency care services this winter.

    Since Spring 2022, Health Boards have been working with partners to develop local urgent and emergency care plans focused on a small number of priorities set by the Welsh Government that will support people to access the right care, in the right place, first time. To support consistency and harness momentum, the winter planning framework sets out expectations for Health Boards to work with partners to build on these priorities and develop enhanced interventions for the winter period. These priorities include:

      • A national communications campaign to raise awareness of NHS 111 Wales, encouraging the public to use the 111 service as a first port of call for free, trusted health information to help ensure they access the right service, first time;
      • Optimising the role of third sector services to improve experience and outcomes for vulnerable people who access care in Emergency Departments or hospitals;
      • Increasing opportunities for people with urgent care complaints to be assessed and treated away from the Emergency Department and within Urgent Primary Care Centres;
      • £3m for the recruitment of 100 new ambulance clinicians expected to be operational by the end of December;
      • Increasing emergency ambulance response capacity through implementation of new staff rosters to deliver efficiency equivalent to around 70 whole time equivalents;
      • Reducing long ambulance patient handover delays to improve experience and unlock ambulance capacity;
      • A further £2m has been made available for health boards to improve their emergency department environments, to enhance patient experiences this winter; and
      • Extending same day emergency care services to seven-day accessibility to help people who may have ordinarily been admitted to hospital to return home to sleep in their own bed.

    In addition, Health Boards and Local Authorities have developed plans to increase community bed or bed equivalent capacity ahead of the winter period. These plans will aim to deliver additional step down to recover provision and community responses through a shared endeavour amongst partners.

    This additional capacity will be delivered alongside additional measures to boost the community care workforce, and is a key element of our enhanced winter planning approach. It will support people to return home or to their local communities when ready and as a consequence it should improve timeliness of care in other parts of the urgent and emergency care system.

    I expect Health Boards to work collaboratively with partners through Regional Partnership Boards to refine plans, drawing on learning from the previous winter and the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, with a focus on patient safety and wellbeing.

    Health Boards will be expected to submit winter resilience plans to their respective Boards for approval, and a review of each Health Board’s plan will form part of Welsh Government Integrated Quality Planning and Delivery meetings in October.

    I will provide Members with further updates throughout the winter period.