Health Minister Eluned Morgan has given us the latest on the six goals for emergency and urgent care in the NHS, it centres around taking the load off emergency care where possible and improve waiting times in the health system, but so far, the plans have not given the results planned, but the minister says change will come.
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00:00Last year was another extremely challenging year for urgent and emergency care services.
00:08But despite the combination of higher than expected demand, coupled with industrial action
00:12from Agenda for Change unions and junior doctors, the hard work of NHS staff and the work of
00:18the Six Goals programme has helped to stabilise emergency care performance. More than three
00:24quarters of a million people completed their treatment in emergency departments within
00:30four hours in 23-24. That's 57,000 more people compared to the previous year.
00:39So obviously Eleanor Morgan believes the plan has been working, and there have certainly
00:43been improvements. But she says she's not blind to the ongoing challenges still being
00:48faced by the NHS.
00:51Whilst there has been progress, there is of course still much more to do. Too many people
00:56are experiencing long delays in emergency departments, which in turn increases their
01:00risk of harm. This is not acceptable, and will be a focus for the Six Goals programme
01:06in its third year.
01:08Tory Senate member Gareth Davis said a lot of what is part of the Six Goals is common
01:13sense and a total overhaul is necessary to help the struggling NHS, something that Eleanor
01:18Morgan agrees with.
01:20However, beyond warm words, it's clear that there are significant and serious issues in
01:24the health system, and the recent statistics showing the longest waiting lists on record
01:29in the Welsh NHS are clear proof of that, along with the catalogue of failings in the
01:34Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which has the lowest percentage of emergency department
01:40attendees seen within the 12-hour target. Despite the best efforts of staff on the ground,
01:46people across Wales are suffering due to poor management of the health service, which
01:49begins here in Cardiff Bay. This has been the case for far too long, and we need these
01:54plans to make real, systemic change.
01:57Thank you very much. Well, I'm really pleased to hear that you think that systemic change
02:02is what's needed, and this is precisely what this is. It's systemic change. It's not doing
02:07more of the same and thinking you're going to get the same different results.
02:11The NHS has faced numerous challenges over the last few years, and in recent months,
02:16industrial action has been a problem for the health system. Applied Cymru Senedd Member
02:20Mabon Op Gwynfod does not appreciate Eluned Morgan apparently blaming the strike action
02:25for those issues.
02:27When referring to problems within the waiting times, for instance, the Cabinet Secretary,
02:32like Sunak, refers to impacts of industrial action by NHS staff. But they are taking industrial
02:40action to highlight the dangers within the health service and the need to improve working
02:45conditions and recruit more. So does she accept, therefore, that this criticism is
02:51unfair?
02:53That if we had more money, we could do more, and that would very much be welcome.