Health
No ‘expert advice’ that underpins Boris Johnson’s plan to ease all restrictions
ECONOMY MINISTER Vaughan Gething has said the Welsh government hasn’t seen any “expert advice” that underpins Boris Johnson’s plan to ease all Covid restrictions in England
The Prime Minister made a surprise announcement that self-isolation rules and all remaining restrictions in England could end early this month.
Wales will gradually begin to relax some of its remaining coronavirus protections as cases continue to fall, the Welsh government has announced today.
Latest Covid infection survey figures published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) are showing a fall in Covid infections in Wales.
Following the latest three week review into Covid restrictions in Wales, Ministers have agreed that from 18 February the legal requirement to show a Covid Pass to enter certain venues and events will be lifted.
From Monday 28 February, the requirement to wear face coverings will be removed from most indoor public places, apart from in retail, public transport and health and care settings.
If the public health conditions continue to improve, the legal requirement to wear face coverings in all remaining settings could be lifted by the end of March.
In a move widely seen as political rather than based on science, Boris Johnson announced that the legal requirement to self-isolate following positive test will be lifted “within weeks in England.”
Wales has not made any similar announcement around ending self-isolation.
Speaking to Sky News this morning, Vaughan Gething said: “We’ve taken advice from our scientific advisors and our chief medical officer.”
“They agree this careful and gradual approach to easing restrictions is now the right and proportionate thing to do.”
He said, “The Covid Pass domestically will go next Friday and face coverings will only remain in place for retail, public transport and health and care settings from the 28th of February.”
“We’ll look at the rest of our public protection measures in our next review in early March.”
Mr Gething said: “We’ve always got to be prepared to look at the evidence and then to make choices that accord with the evidence and the expert public health advice that we get.”
“We took a different path recently to England, for example, having some protective measures of the turn of the year.”
“And actually we had a lower level of Covid infections as a result, despite our very high case rates.”
He said: “We’ll be publishing a summary of our chief medical loss advice so people know that these are properly considered choices.”
“We’re not playing fast and loose with public health or indeed, the future of the economy.”
On Tuesday, Boris Johnson said he anticipated the legal requirement to self-isolate after a positive test will be lifted within weeks in England – a month earlier than initially planned.
The Prime Minister also announced that he will set out his roadmap for ‘living with Covid’, including both domestic and travel restrictions, when Parliament returns on February 21.
Mr Johnson told MPs: ‘It is my intention to return on the first day after the half-term recess to present our strategy for living with Covid.
“Provided the current encouraging trends in the data continue, it is my expectation that we will be able to end the last domestic restrictions – including the legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive – a full month early.”
Mr Gething said he was “surprised at both the timing and the nature of what the Prime Minister said.
“Earlier points in the pandemic when significant changes have been made, there has been a conversation between health ministers across UK.
“A conversation between chief medical officers across the UK and there’s been advice from Sage the scientific expert committee
“None of those things happened before the Prime Minister made his surprise announcement immediately before Prime Minister’s questions.”
He said: “So if there is expert public health advice that underpins the announcement made by the Prime Minister, I haven’t seen it and the public hadn’t seen it.”
“Crucially, there hasn’t been a conversation between the chief medical officers across the UK to try to come to some form of consensus around why this could be the right thing to do.”
The latest figures from the ONS infection survey show that “England saw a slight rise in case rates, Covid infections are higher in England and in Wales as we speak.” Said Mr Gething.
“So it is quite surprising because isolating when you’re infectious protects other people.” He said.
Mr Gething said that when he was self-isolating after testing positive for Covid, “If I’d gone out and day three after my first test, I would probably have been infectious and I could have harmed other people by passing on the virus.”
“That’s why the self isolation measures are important.”
“It’s why we still think it’s the right thing to have them in law.”
“We’ll continue to take advice from the chief medical officer.
“I’ve got a good deal of optimism about the future. But as ever, if there is a significant change in the position, then we have to be prepared to change our position.”
Health
Bathing water samplers set for a busy season of water quality checks
WHILE families across Wales start making plans for the summer, samplers from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) are embarking on their annual programme of bathing water quality tests.
This year, there are 110 designated bathing waters which will be sampled multiple times between 15th May-30th September, in line with the UK Bathing Water Regulations. 109 of these are coastal waters, and one inland lake (Llyn Padarn).
Last month the Welsh Government announced that Nefyn Beach in Gwynedd had been added to the list of designations, following a successful application.
Bathing water samples are sent to NRW’s laboratory in Swansea, where they are tested for levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and intestinal enterococci (IE).
Results from a four-year rolling period then determine the classification for the next bathing water season; excellent, good, satisfactory or poor.
Last year, 98% of Wales’s designated bathing waters met stringent environmental standards, with 80 out of 109 meeting the ‘excellent’ criteria.
Clare Pillman, Chief Executive of NRW said:
“More and more people are enjoying the benefits of open water swimming, and where better to take a dip than at one of the many fantastic bathing waters Wales has to offer.
“Our blue waters offer a wealth of recreation opportunities, providing a vital boost to Wales’ tourism sector and the health and well-being of our communities.
“Our teams continue to work hard to tackle the many sources of pollution which threaten our water quality, including from agriculture and storm overflows. Much progress is being made, and we are pressing for record levels of water company investment for the environment in the coming years to safeguard the future health of our waters.”
Prior to the start of the traditional bathing water season, NRW officers undertake a number of pre-season checks and samples. This includes checking to ensure permit conditions for nearby discharges are being complied with.
Issues or deteriorations flagged in last year’s results are investigated by local teams to identify any sources of pollution which may be contributing to high bacteria levels found in samples.
Information about where to find designated bathing waters, and the standard of bathing water is available on NRW’s website.
Visit the Adventure Smart website for information about swimming safely in open waters.
Community
Further pleas to save Anchorage Day Centre
A PLEA by a concerned parent to keep Pembroke Dock’s Anchorage Day Centre open was heard at a full meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council.
The Anchorage Day Care Centre in Pembroke Dock has been a “safe and happy place” for adults with learning difficulties and additional needs for decades.
In more recent years it has expanded to support elderly dementia sufferers.
But now the centre is expected to close, with services instead being offered elsewhere in the county, including Haverfordwest and Milford Haven.
A series of engagement events have taken place at The Anchorage recently, outlining the reasons and the options in continued service.
One parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “One young woman who attends ran out of the first meeting sobbing when she was told it was going to close. Another, at the second meeting, tried to address the meeting but was so choked up at the thought of not seeing her friends anymore she could hardly speak.”
In a submitted question heard at the May 9 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, concerned parent Peter Welsh asked: “Is the council aware of the huge impact the impending closure of the Anchorage Adult Day-care Centre in Pembroke Dock is already having to the health and mental wellbeing of my daughter and 20 other vulnerable adults with special needs and learning difficulties, who are unable to cope with changes to routine, or to process and understand what is happening to them?
“And would the council, therefore, please review its closure decision and retain the centre and the vital and invaluable service it provides not only to the individuals concerned but also to the parents?
“If not, what specific measures does the cabinet member have in place to support my daughter and these other individuals who need extra assistance to enable them to maintain their independence, value and allow their carers to have valuable respite from their caring responsibilities and what are the estimated costs for these substitute measures?”
Responding, Cabinet Member for Social Care & Safeguarding Cllr Tessa Hodgson said an engagement with service users, carers and families was made immediately after staff were informed about the potential closure following the council’s March budget setting.
Members were told two sessions were held with all concerned, with a list of alternative day opportunities in the county outlined, with opportunities to attend short sessions at the other centres being available so they “can fully explore which opportunity is best suited to their needs and wants”.
“All service users of the Anchorage will be offered alternative day centre arrangements in order to preserve their independence and also to support the caring needs of their families, these assessments are still taking place and are likely to continue to do so at least until the end of May.”
Cllr Hodgson said she was unable to provide estimated costs of the new arrangements until all the assessments were in place, hoping to update members at a future date.
An online e-petition, on the council’s own website has been launched calling for the Anchorage to stay open.
Health
Calls for Welsh Govt to improve both maternity and neonatal safety
LEADING pregnancy charities have urged the Welsh Government to take stronger measures to enhance maternity and neonatal services, in order to realise the substantial changes necessary to reduce infant mortality. The Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit released a revealing report today, stating that initiatives in Wales are inadequate to instigate the vital transformation required to prevent baby deaths.
The report, titled “Saving Babies’ Lives 2024: Progress Report,” notes that strides toward diminishing stillbirths and neonatal deaths have halted in Wales, mirroring a stagnant situation across the UK. The findings suggest that with improved care, as many as 800 infant lives could have been saved throughout the UK last year. The document emphasises the urgent need for meaningful action to tackle the severe and enduring disparities in baby loss and pregnancy complications across different demographic groups.
Particularly alarming is the continuing disparity in outcomes for infants from varied ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic statuses. The report underscores that the stillbirth rate in Wales has exceeded that of any other UK nation since 2014, with minimal improvement in neonatal mortality rates over the past decade. Unlike England, which aims to halve the rates of stillbirth, neonatal death, preterm birth, maternal death, and brain injury by 2025 relative to 2010, Wales has set no similar goals.
Moreover, the report criticises the Welsh Government for the insufficient number of reviews conducted following infant deaths, which are crucial for understanding potential lessons and providing grieving parents with needed explanations.
Robert Wilson, head of the Sands and Tommy’s Joint Policy Unit, commented, “Our report unequivocally shows that the Welsh Government must establish clear targets for reducing pregnancy loss and baby deaths, and for eliminating inequalities. These targets should catalyse a thorough suite of policy measures, adequately supported by necessary funding and resources.”
The report provides specific recommendations to enhance maternity safety in Wales, including the consistent involvement of staff and patients, especially bereaved parents, in assessing the quality of maternity and neonatal services. It also calls for transparent and independently overseen reviews of individual services, and improvements in the completion rate of reviews following a baby’s death.
The Joint Policy Unit is advocating for a unified commitment across all four UK nations to eradicate inequalities in pregnancy and baby loss. Disturbingly, the 2021 data revealed that the rate of stillbirths and neonatal deaths among Black babies was almost double that of White babies, and significantly higher than the overall UK rate. This disparity was similarly stark between the most and least deprived areas in the UK.
The report also highlights that only about 2% of public and charity health research funding has been allocated to reproductive health and childbirth over the last two decades, signalling a need for increased investment in these crucial areas.
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