Welsh health minister gives update on winter pressures

Eluned Morgan, welsh minister for health and social services, have given an update to the Senedd on winter pressures in health and social care.

The NHS in Wales supports more than 2 million people every month, including 1.5 million in primary care and at least 70,000 calls a month to the 111 service. There are more people than ever before employed by the NHS in Wales.

Over the last year, NHS '111 press 2' was rolled out across Wales and more than 400 people accessed urgent mental health support through the service in December. 13 new urgent primary care centres and new remote navigation hubs have been established, helping around 10,000 people a month to access care away from the emergency department.

£3 million has been invested in additional ambulance staff, amounting to an extra 76 whole-time equivalent staff recruited since last winter.

Morgan said: "Over the last couple of weeks, I've visited a number of emergency departments. I know the pressures staff are facing and how hard they're working to make every patient experience a positive one. I've listened to patients and staff, and, in an effort to support better experience, emergency departments and minor injury units have received an additional share of £2.7 million to enhance their environments over the winter period."

She continued: "Clearly, we are expecting a significant impact from junior doctor strikes this week. Whilst we understand the strength of feeling amongst junior doctors and genuinely appreciate the work they do on the front line, it has been impossible for us to offer more than 5 per cent as an increase in salary this year. Five per cent has been in their pay packets since September and it's the same offer as to everyone else in the health service. Whilst it is true that this year the offer is less than what was offered to junior doctors in England—6 per cent—it should be noted that last year England only gave a 2 per cent increase, whilst we in Wales awarded a 6 per cent increase plus an additional one-off payment of 1.5 per cent to junior doctors here.126

"Whilst we are keen to move to pay restoration for junior doctors, this year, with the extreme financial pressure on our budgets, it has not been possible to offer more than that 5 per cent. Health boards have worked hard to protect patient safety and ensure emergency and urgent care is protected. However, we know that planned care is going to be very disrupted. Yesterday, around 6,500 out-patient appointments were cancelled—usually, there are around 14,000 out-patient appointments a day—and on top of this, around 400 operations were cancelled, when usually around 1,300 are carried out. But I would like to reassure patients that they will not be sent to the back of the queue by health boards and that efforts will be made to reinstate those appointments as soon as possible."