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Health

Senedd Members criticise ‘appalling’ cancer delays

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SENEDD Members quizzed Wales’ health secretary after a damning report revealed “alarming” shortcomings in cancer services, including a lack of leadership.

James Evans, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, said this week’s Audit Wales report laid bare chronic mismanagement of cancer services.

Questioning his opposite number Jeremy Miles, Mr Evans told the Senedd: “This failure has caused widespread confusion and inefficiencies in patient care.

“Despite a staggering 54% real-terms increase in spending on cancer services over the past 13 years, the NHS in Wales continues to miss the target for starting cancer treatment.

“Leadership failures have resulted in shocking delays for patients, with some waiting over 100 days to begin treatment. These delays exacerbate anxiety and lead to poorer survival rates, which are already worse in Wales than any other nation across the UK.”

Conservative MS James Evans
Conservative MS James Evans

He urged the Welsh Government to fix a leadership vacuum, dismantle bureaucratic silos and ensure patients no longer face appalling delays that cost lives.

Mr Miles welcomed the report, recognising the picture painted by the auditor general that too many people are waiting too long for treatments they should be getting faster.

The health secretary said: “It is true to say for a number of cancers in a number of parts of Wales those targets are being met and sometimes being exceeded quite significantly.

“But the overall picture, I accept, is that targets are not being met.”

Mr Evans, who represents Brecon and Radnorshire, warned of workforce planning failures, severe staff shortages, over-reliance on agencies, and recruitment and retention problems.

He said: “These staff shortages are directly delaying cancer diagnosis and treatment, worsening outcomes for patients.

“Despite repeated warnings from organisations like the Wales Cancer Alliance, the Welsh Government has failed to deliver a comprehensive workforce strategy.”

Mr Miles pointed to a 27% increase in workforce numbers, adding that Wales is not the only country to have difficulty recruiting to certain disciplines such as radiology.

The health secretary agreed about the “unsustainable” reliance on agency staff.

Mr Evans added: “There is becoming an outrage in the public about the ballooning number of managers across the NHS compared to frontline health care providers.”

He suggested overall increases in the workforce – from 72,000 to 91,000 between 2014 and 2023 – have not addressed frontline clinical shortages.

“Shockingly, administrative and estate staff have increased by 51% in that time,” he said.

Mr Evans asked: “After 26 years, how can the Labour Welsh Government justify the bloated expansion of administrative roles while patients face unacceptable delays for treatment due to a lack of frontline staff?”

Mr Miles replied: “The member makes an easy point, and a populist point, but the truth is a complex healthcare system requires people who are competent….

“There has been an increase in recruitment to the NHS across all disciplines and all important roles which enable the NHS to be effectively run.”

He added: “A world view which suggests that managers and those running the NHS simply should be taken out of the system, I think, is a very naive perspective.”

Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor
Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymru’s shadow health secretary, also led on the scathing Audit Wales report during health questions on January 15.

He urged the minister to back his party’s proposed reforms of NHS governance.

Mr Miles said November’s report “echoed” a statement he gave in the Senedd and a speech he made two weeks earlier.

He told the chamber: “I was very pleased to see the kind of fresh thinking I was seeking to bring to the challenges which we face was agreed to by Plaid Cymru.

“And I see the same thing in the plan that was published … yesterday in relation to tackling waiting lists.”

Mr ap Gwynfor hit back: “That’s a disappointing response because you seem to be in complete denial about the problems in the health service.”

The Dwyfor Meirionnydd Senedd Member called for a guarantee that a target for 80% of all cancer patients to receive treatment within 62 days by March 2026 will be met.

He warned that the quality and accessibility of health data is “not up to scratch”, with Public Health Wales “fundamentally hamstrung” in its ability to project future demand for services.

He said: “The Wales cancer registry is meant to provide timely data on cancer incidence … but it hasn’t published validated cancer data since 2021, shamefully this means Wales can’t fully take part in essential national cancer audits … nor global studies.”

Mr Miles replied: “We have actually improved the publicly available data and we publish on a monthly basis about 18 pages of cancer treatment statistics, so that they can be scrutinised.

“We do want to improve transparency further.”

Health

Doctor sounds alarm about scurvy cases among children

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A DOCTOR warned of re-emerging cases of scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, among children and young people in Wales.

Dana Beasley, Wales deputy officer at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, raised concerns about a lack of vitamin C from fruit and vegetables in children’s diets.

She told the Senedd’s health committee: “I never thought I would see this in my lifetime as a paediatrician in a developed country, I’ve seen children with vitamin C deficiency: scurvy.

“This is something out of books from pirate stories long, long ago. We have seen children in Wales with vitamin C deficiency, it’s tragic.

“Vitamin C deficiency is rare but I’ve seen it, there’s been several cases but vitamin D deficiency is more frequent.

“It’s heartbreaking to see because our children are not well – we’re already robbing them of a healthy adult life before they even start school.”

In September, a medical journal warned scurvy – a disease which, if untreated, can lead to potentially fatal bleeding – is re-emerging due to the cost of living and poor diets.

Giving evidence to a health committee inquiry on obesity, Dr Beasley pointed to  2021 research which found Welsh children are among the least fit in the world.

Wales received an “F” in the study of 60 countries and the paediatrician warned “so many children” are deficient in vitamin D due to malnutrition and a lack of outdoor activity.

She said: “Children over five and young people should move for an hour a day every day but research has shown that probably 20% of boys maybe do that and 14% of girls.

“That’s shocking, absolutely shocking.”

Dr Beasley told Senedd members: “Cwm Taf’s got the biggest obesity rates [but] hasn’t got any sustained level two or three obesity services. Hywel Dda, that’s got the biggest rate of overweight children with about 28%, hasn’t got any services at all. That’s not right.”

Rocio Cifuentes, the children’s commissioner for Wales, pointed to a Food Foundation report showing 1,000 calories of healthy food costs £8.80 compared with £4.30 for unhealthy food

Rocio Cifuentes has been appointed as the new Children's Commissioner for Wales
Rocio Cifuentes is the Children’s Commissioner for Wales

She said: “Healthy food currently is more expensive and that is a reality that parents who are struggling will have to grapple with and will have to make unhealthier choices.

“They will be forced to – their financial circumstances will dictate that.”

Ms Cifuentes warned of a “huge society-wide challenge” on screen time, emphasising that parents need to lead by example.

She told the committee: “Overall, there’s huge evidence that screen time is increasing for children and young people, and that it’s having a really detrimental impact on their physical health, mental health, education and social skills.”

More than a quarter of children aged four or five in Wales are overweight or obese, according to latest statistics for 2022/23.

The children’s commissioner warned of a “deprivation gap”, with children from the poorest postcode areas significantly more likely to be overweight or obese.

Ms Cifuentes called for a duty to have “due regard” to the UN convention on the rights of the child to be applied to councils as well as Welsh ministers.

She said this would ensure children’s rights form part of councils’ thinking when, for example, taking decisions to close swimming pools or parks.

During an earlier evidence session on February 13, Jonathan Bone, of Nesta Cymru, outlined the innovation charity’s blueprint which aims to halve obesity.

He urged the Welsh Government to go beyond  plans to restrict “buy one get one free”-style deals by banning all price promotions on less healthy products in bigger retailers.

He told the committee: “The modelling suggested that this would lead to a 29% relative reduction in obesity rates, which is 40 times more impactful than the volume price promotions policy currently being drafted.” 

Dr Bone called for mandatory targets for larger retailers to improve the average healthiness of food sold, suggesting this could lead to a 25% fall in obesity rates.

He said: “Over the past 30 years, the majority of government strategies have focused on policies that require individual action and over this time obesity rates have doubled – so these kinds of approaches clearly aren’t working.”

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Health

Welsh NHS Confederation calls for long-term workforce plan

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Leaders urge government to address staffing challenges

THE WELSH NHS Confederation has responded to an Audit Wales report highlighting workforce challenges in the health and social care sector, calling for a fully funded, long-term staffing plan.

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said: “We welcome Audit Wales’ report on NHS workforce challenges. It’s no secret that the workforce is the lifeblood of the NHS and social care services.”

He reiterated long-standing calls for the Welsh Government to invest in a costed Long-Term Plan to create a sustainable workforce, ensuring the NHS and social care services can meet future demand.

Growing workforce, rising costs

Hughes acknowledged ongoing efforts to reduce reliance on agency staff and fill vacancies but warned that while the NHS workforce is expanding, staffing costs are rising unsustainably.

“Audit Wales rightly questions the sustainability of these rising staffing costs in the current financial climate,” he said.

Multi-disciplinary teams needed

NHS leaders believe that multi-disciplinary teams are key to meeting the evolving needs of the population. However, Hughes expressed concerns over the lack of a national workforce plan and unclear system leadership arrangements.

“Now more than ever, we must work together across NHS and social care boundaries to find long-term solutions to recruitment and retention,” he added.

The Welsh NHS Confederation represents the country’s seven local health boards, three NHS trusts, Health Education and Improvement Wales, and Digital Health and Care Wales.

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Health

‘Postcode lottery’ concerns over fertility treatment

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COUPLES seeking fertility treatment in Wales face a postcode lottery in terms of access to services, a Senedd Member warned.

James Evans, the Conservatives’ shadow health secretary, said the eligibility criteria for NHS-funded fertility treatments varies across the country.

Mr Evans called for the Welsh Government to standardise the criteria to make sure everyone has equal access to treatment and provide people with greater choice.

He said: “There are notable differences in the fertility treatments offered across different health boards and patients often lack autonomy to choose their preferred treatment centre.”

Mr Evans raised the example of ICSI, a treatment for men with infertility, during health questions in the Senedd on February 12.

He said: “For those people with low sperm counts, that is the only way in which they can actually access fertility treatments but some centres don’t do that.”

Peter Fox cautioned that male infertility issues are often overlooked despite studies showing that male factors contribute to 30% to 50% of cases in Wales.

He added: “When males are diagnosed… they’re often left in the dark with no support offered to them because most of the treatment services are focused toward the women.

“A lot of those men are left feeling frustrated – they feel shame, they feel anger – because they don’t feel like they get the mental support needed to get through that time in their lives.”

Standing in for health secretary Jeremy Miles, who was ill, Sarah Murphy, the mental health minister, said one in six couples will struggle with infertility.

She explained that the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority regulates the NHS and private sector, setting out the treatments and procedures available.

Raising commissioning policy on fertility services, Ms Murphy stressed: “I think it’s really important to emphasise, though, that this is a specialist service.

Labour MS Sarah Murphy speaking in the Senedd
Sarah Murphy, minister for mental health and wellbeing

“It is not something that is provided across every health board.”

Ms Murphy pointed to services provided in clinics in Cardiff and Swansea, adding: “I understand completely that there will be people out there where this is not ideal, I do.”

She told the Senedd: “There absolutely shouldn’t be any shame or stigma around this – it’s not as uncommon as maybe people think.”

Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor
Plaid Cymru MS Mabon ap Gwynfor

Mabon ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymru’s shadow health secretary, warned of high levels of homelessness, mental health issues and financial insecurity among unpaid carers.

He said only 6% of unpaid carers were able to access personal needs assessments during 2024 despite a right to one being enshrined in Welsh law a decade ago.

Mr ap Gwynfor raised concerns about a “chronic lack of capacity” to conduct assessments, with councils facing spending pressures of £559m in 2025/26.

Dawn Bowden, the Welsh Government’s social care minister, recognised the picture, saying: “This is something that I hear consistently from unpaid carers … and carers’ organisations.”

Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney MS Dawn Bowden
Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney MS Dawn Bowden

Ms Bowden added: “I want to reassure you, Mabon, that we know we are nowhere near where we need to be with this and this is very much a priority piece of work.”

Plaid Cymru’s Sioned Williams said one in three women will have an abortion in their lives as she criticised a lack of services within Wales despite warnings since 2018.

She told the Senedd that nowhere in Wales offers surgical termination beyond 16 weeks nor any type of abortion after 20 weeks.

Ms Williams said: “If a woman needs access to abortion services beyond this up to the legal limit of 24 weeks, they must travel out of Wales for treatment, usually to Liverpool or London.

Plaid Cymru's shadow social justice minister, Sioned Williams
Plaid Cymru’s shadow social justice minister, Sioned Williams

“Although abortions at later gestations account for only 2% of all abortions, the women who require them are some of society’s most vulnerable.”

Ms Murphy pointed to the ten-year women’s health plan, adding that she has sought to move the issue up the agenda with work on a specialist abortion service under way.

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