Politics

Health Minister’s update on Covid-19 vaccine deployment in Wales

Published

3 years ago

November 17, 2020

THE LONG-TERM response to the Covid-19 pandemic requires a safe and effective vaccine to be available for all, the Welsh Health Minister has said.

Vaughan Gething has released a statement confirming that the UK Government Covid Vaccine Taskforce, has been leading work on funding and procuring vaccines for the UK. Over a number of months, we have been closely engaged with them and other key stakeholders to monitor progress on their development.

The Minister said that during this period his team has established governance arrangements at a UK and all-Wales level with a range of partner organisations and stakeholders to work through the deployment and logistical issues for when a vaccine becomes available.

Vaughan Gething said: “Since May 2020 officials from all four UK nations have taken part in UK Covid-19 Vaccine Programme board to share expertise and intelligence. This operational delivery group has taken forward a number of work streams to address areas of UK wide work and reports to the UK Vaccine Task Force (VTF). Dr Gill Richardson (Senior Professional Advisor to the CMO) is the SRO for Wales who attends a dedicated weekly meeting with other nations.

“In parallel with UK wide engagement, the Wales Covid-19 Vaccine Delivery Programme Board was set up on the 4 June. This is led by Welsh Government with membership from stakeholders across the health and care system. Representation includes all health boards and trusts, WLGA, Public Health Wales, professional leads, the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, health and social care professional groups and patient representation through the third sector. The board identified ‘Once for Wales’ workstreams include planning and delivery; workforce surge recruitment, registration, training and mobilisation; disease surveillance; vaccine storage, distribution and safety monitoring; communications & marketing; infection prevention and control, including PPE, digital solutions, consumables and vaccine efficacy.

“As part of the preparation in Wales, the Chief Medical Officer has written to all Health Boards and Trusts in July to ask them, with key partners, to establish groups to rapidly progress local plans for delivery of a Covid-19 vaccine. In August the CMO wrote again for a further update.

“Each plan has been subject to review and assessment to ensure each Health Board and Trust has appropriate facilities and equipment to receive, store, prepare and administer vaccines in a safe and controlled manner and plans for rapid deployment through a variety of means (mass immunisation, mobile, occupational and wider primary care).

“The Chief Medical Officer will shortly write again to Health Boards and Trusts to give national direction to the implementation of the vaccination programme.

“I have met, on two occasions this month, with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and the other devolved Health Ministers to discuss recent developments on the Covid vaccine and ensure alignment across the whole of the UK on vaccine deployment.

“It is important to recognise however, that none of the vaccines which have been procured by the UK Government have received the necessary regulatory approval. The UK Government has secured contracts to up to 350 million vaccines doses through agreements with six separate vaccine developers. This includes the agreement with Pfizer/BioNTech of which 40 million doses of their vaccine have been secured on behalf of the UK. If approved, Wales will receive its population share under the Barnett formula (4.78%). Once we know whether the vaccine meets robust safety standards, only then can the medicines regulator consider whether it can be made available to the public.

“From our ongoing discussions we are aware of the significant challenges of storing, distributing and handling a novel vaccine of this type. In particular its need for storage at very low temperatures. As more information becomes available, Health Board plans are being adapted to ensure they are sufficiently robust for NHS Wales to respond to those challenges.

“If approved, there will be limited supplies of this vaccine at first, so it will be offered to those at highest risk. I have already decided that priority for initial distribution of any new vaccine will be determined in accordance with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The JCVI is expected to update its advice on priority categories before the end of this month.

“I am grateful for all the hard work that has been done in the service to date to get Wales ready to deploy a much-needed vaccine. I am pleased to report that all NHS organisations in Wales have embraced the challenge presented to them and are at advanced stage of planning for the arrival of a vaccine, this includes undertaking Wales-wide simulation exercises to test our distribution and storage arrangements and to ensure we can get vaccine safely to every part of Wales. Military planning expertise is assisting to support advanced logistical and operational delivery through a balanced programme portfolio, including live testing exercises.

“Once regulatory approval is received our health and social care staff in Wales stand ready to begin a vaccination programme for the people of Wales.”

News

Fresh questions over fire that ravaged Manorbier school

Published

4 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A senior Pembrokeshire councillor is to be quizzed on what progress has been made in recouping a £200,000 insurance excess paid by the council following the 2022 fire at a Manorbier school.

Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space.

Pupils and staff were successfully evacuated with no injuries, and a “school from school” was set up in Jameston Village Hall, after a brief period of sanctuary at the nearby Buttyland caravan site.

Pembrokeshire County Council’s insurers have previously said the fire was accidentally started while “hot works” were being carried out by contractors to renew an adjacent flat roof, but, as has previously been stressed, no liability had been accepted to date.

Councillors have previously heard the majority of costs were likely to be met from the council’s insurers, with the caveat of the unknown issue of liability and its effect on the £200,000 insurance excess.

A submitted question, by Councillor Aled Thomas, to be heard at the full council meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council on May 9, will ask Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language Cllr Guy Woodham “to update the chamber on what progress the Cabinet have made in recouping the £200,000 insurance excess paid following the devastating non-fault fire at Manorbier school”.

Councillors have previously been told by Cllr Woodham: “The legal issues are not straightforward but will be robustly taken forward.

“At this stage it’s still subject to legal discussion. The excess will be covered by a fund the council holds for insurance excess.”

He said that, if liability was found or accepted, the council would “pursue for the full maximum claim of the costs associated with the fire”.

Crime

Dafydd Llywelyn retains his post as our local commissioner

Published

4 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE result of the election for the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner election has been declared.

Plaid’s Dafydd Llywelyn retains his role as commissioner. He has held the role since 2016.

The result of the election is as follows:

Justin Mark Griffiths (Lib Dem) 7,719
Ian Harrison 19,134 (Con)
Dafydd Llywelyn 31,323 (Plaid)
Philippa Thompson (Lab) 18,353

Before the election, Dafydd Llywelyn promised: “As your current Commissioner, operational, front-line policing has, and always will come before party politics. I have a strong track record of delivering on my promises and of listening to the communities of Dyfed Powys. I am proud of what I have achieved since 2016, but there is still so much to do.

“I am an approachable individual and I believe in listening to all members of the community in order to shape a successful police force.

“Since 2016, I have increased resources whilst also retaining the lowest council tax levels in Wales. During that time, we’ve seen:

150 more Police Officers;

150 more Police Staff;
A CCTV system that is monitored 24/7 by police staff;
A dedicated rural crime team;
A focus on county lines drug dealing to target organised crime;
Investment in Youth Offending Teams to divert young people away from crime;
A new Offender Diversionary Scheme to reduce re-offending.

If re – elected:

I will safeguard Neighbourhood Policing resources retaining a visible local policing presence;
I will invest in the Communications Centre to ensure an accessible service;
I will continue to put the victim at the heart of the service and develop a truly victim led service;
I will work with operational staff to keep local police stations open;
I will invest in a new and refreshed School Police programme to deliver early intervention and preventative work;
I will prioritise working in partnership with organisations and agencies to safeguard the most vulnerable in society.

“Your safety is my top priority. I want to ensure that the Dyfed Powys Police Force remains one of the safest places to live in Wales and England.”

News

Pembroke Power Station hydrogen fuel production hopes rise

Published

4 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A public consultation on plans to develop a green hydrogen production facility next to Pembroke Power Station has been launched by energy company RWE Generation UK.

The technology uses the electrolysis of water to split into its constituent elements, hydrogen for fuel and power, and oxygen.

RWE, in its consultation, says: “RWE is progressing proposals to develop a green hydrogen production facility on RWE’s land adjacent to the existing Pembroke Power Station and has launched a statutory pre-application consultation to inform stakeholders and the community.

“RWE values the input of the local community and feedback will be used to inform the plans. RWE Pembroke Green Hydrogen will facilitate the generation of green hydrogen. Green hydrogen is produced from water, using energy obtained from renewable sources.

“The hydrogen can then be used to decarbonise local industrial activities in South Wales, by displacing their current fossil fuel usage. The facility would be located on RWE’s site to the west of Pembroke Power Station and would benefit from being well-screened from local communities, while being accessed via the current power station access road.”

It adds: “It is expected that hydrogen generated by this facility for use in local industry would directly result in the reduction of approximately 93,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, helping to secure a more sustainable future for South Wales’ long-standing industrial heritage. This CO2 saving is the equivalent of removing 18,600 cars from the road each year.”

The 23.7ha development site proposed comprises of a 4ha main electrolyser area, a 1.5km hydrogen gas pipeline corridor, an electrical connection to a high voltage transformer all located to the west of Pembroke Power Station, and an area for connections into the Pembroke Power Station and a cable corridor for connection into the National Grid Substation.

The consultation documents say: “The proposed development is a green hydrogen electrolysis plant that will consume circa 100-110MW of electricity to produce around 2 te/hr green hydrogen gas for third-party uses unrelated to Pembroke Power Station. Including the balance of plant, the total energy consumption for the proposed development will be approximately 140MW.

“The consequent reduction in use of fossil fuels due to substitution by green hydrogen gas, and avoided greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is a beneficial operational effect of the proposed development.”

It says development of the project is expected to take 24 months, and subject to as-yet unsubmitted full plans’ approval, could be built by early 2027.

The consultation runs to May 20.

A hydrogen fuel plant facility was given the backing of county planners last October, at the former Puma Energy site in Milford Haven.

H2 Energy Ecosystem UK Limited sought permission for the erection of an electrolysis hydrogen generation facility, and associated storage facilities and works at the Amoco Road site.