​Written Assembly Questions tabled on 3 October 2016 for answer on 10 October 2016

R - Signifies the Member has declared an interest.
W - Signifies that the question was tabled in Welsh.

(Self-identifying question no. shown in brackets)

Written Questions must be tabled at least five working days before they are to be answered. In practice, Ministers aim to answer within seven/eight days but are not bound to do so. Answers are published in the language in which they are provided, with a translation into English of responses provided in Welsh.

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport

Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): What is the predicted GP shortfall in each of Wales' health boards? (WAQ71095)

Answer received on 12 October 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): The number of GPs required in each health board is based on local need. Health boards are required to keep recruitment and staffing matters under.
The challenges in recruitment and retention of GPs across the UK is however recognised. We are proceeding on the basis that additional GPs are needed so the programme to take Wales Forward sets out our commitment to take action to attract and train more GPs, nurses and other health professionals across Wales.
To support this commitment we will shortly be launching a national and international campaign to market Wales and NHS Wales as an attractive place for doctors, including GPs, to train work and live.
We are also continuing to invest in primary care - £43 million has been made available for 2016-17 to health boards to support the delivery of their plans. £10 million of this has been allocated for the 64 primary care clusters to invest in their local priorities and to enable innovation. 
 
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): How many GP's have been recruited to Wales, in each of Wales' health boards, each year for the last 4 years? (WAQ71096)

Answer received on 11 October 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): The latest statistics on the GP workforce indicating the number of GPs joining the Medical Performers List for each of the previous four years are shown below. The official statistical publication does not provide this information by health board area.  
 

 
This information can be viewed at –
http://gov.wales/docs/statistics/2016/160330-general-medical-practitioners-2015.pdf

Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): As part of your recent recruitment drive to increase the numbers of GP's in Wales, what specific consideration is being given to fill GP shortfalls in rural communities? (WAQ71097)

Answer received on 11 October 2016

Vaughan Gething: As I set out in my statement of 20 September, plans for a major national and international campaign to market Wales and NHS Wales as an attractive place for doctors, including GPs to train, work and live are well advanced. The campaign will launch on 20 October, leading straight into the British Medical Journal careers fair in London on 21 and 22 October. This will be the first component of a longer term, sustained campaign to attract more doctors to Wales.
The campaign will be underpinned by a clearer ‘Wales offer’ for GPs. This will communicate the existing benefits of being a GP in Wales and the actions being taken to address the concerns of those who are delivering services everyday. As part of this we are working with the Wales Deanery to develop a potential incentive scheme for a limited number of GP training posts in areas where uptake of placements has been low over a number of years.
Such a situation is a feature of training schemes which are run in more rural areas and which exacerbates difficulties in recruitment and retention of the type being considered by the Mid Wales Healthcare Collaborative.
We are also supporting the Wales Deanery’s work with Betsi Cadwaldr UHB to support a broad based training programme in North Wales. The programme is designed for junior doctors who have just completed foundation training and is ideally structured for trainees who wish to gain experience in providing integrated care in both primary and secondary care settings. In addition we have provided funding to support a range of academic fellows posts in North Wales through a programme hosted by Bangor University.
The Welsh Government is therefore taking forward a range of work to support or develop new solutions to making rural areas attractive for GPs including new models of working, developing multi-disciplinary teams and new roles as well as communicating the benefits working in all parts of Wales can bring to a GPs career. 
 
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): What initiatives are the Welsh Government putting in place to improve access to GP surgeries and appointment making, and how will you measure improvements and the impact that these initiatives have had on patients? (WAQ71098)

Answer received on 5 October 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport (Vaughan Gething): Our Programme for Government, Taking Wales Forwards, commits us to continuing to make access to GP services better. The Welsh Government, through its national primary care fund of £42.6 million is increasing the capacity and capability of the wider primary care workforce to improve timely access to the right professional and to use GPs’ and other professionals’ time and expertise to best effect. Health boards work closely with the practices they contract GP services from to optimise the availability of appointments during core hours of 8am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday. This includes improving how the public can access services, such as telephone triage to respond to calls for advice. Modern technology has an important role to play, such as the online service for making appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions and the use of text reminders to reduce wasted appointment times.
We will continue to use the National Survey to measure the level of satisfaction people have with the services they receive from GPs and how easy it is to make a convenient appointment. 

 
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): Could you provide details as to how you plan to better integrate health and social care over the course of this assembly, outlining what initiatives you will take, and when, to achieve this? (WAQ71099)

Answer received on 23 October 2017

The Minister for Social Services and Public Health (Rebecca Evans): The establishment of statutory Regional Partnership Boards under the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 is one of a series of actions being taken to deliver integrated health and social care. These Boards bring together health, social services, the third sector and other partners to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. Their purpose is to improve the outcomes and well-being of people in response to the population assessment also required by the Act.
The Intermediate Care Fund has been established to develop new and innovative models of integrated working. £60 million has been set aside this financial year and the Programme for Government includes a commitment to continue this important fund.
Taking Wales Forward also includes a commitment to invest in a new generation of integrated health and social care centres. Organisations are in the process of prioritising plans as part of their estates and service planning work. The Welsh Government is also exploring early opportunities to provide capital funding to support a number of estate solutions to assist with sustainability and promote integration.

Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): What discussions have you had with health services across the border and the Welsh Deanery on rotational training places for junior doctors? (WAQ71100)

Answer received on 11 October 2016

Vaughan Gething: The Wales Deanery is responsible for working with key partners to ensure there are appropriate training programmes in place to support the needs of junior doctors. This includes making sure the rotations contained within each training programme meets the specialty training curricula approved by the General Medical Council.
While some experience can often only be gained in specialist centres or teaching hospitals there are a significant number of training programmes that can be undertaken without the need for trainees to undertake placements in England. These include, core medical, core surgical, geriatric and general practice training.
The Wales Deanery has and continues to work with Deaneries in England to identify suitable placements to ensure the appropriate level of exposure to specific services and skillsets. As a result a number of rotations now include placements in English regions, these include Paediatrics, Clinical Oncology, Audio vestibular Medicine and Trauma and Orthopaedics.  

Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): What financial support, if any, will the Welsh Government be allocating to specifically tackle the public health issue of loneliness with older people? (WAQ71101)

Answer received on 6 October 2016

Rebecca Evans: In recognition that loneliness and isolation for older people is a public health issue, in 2016/17 we have provided Volunteering Matters with funding of £136k and the British Red Cross and Royal Voluntary Service with over £331k to work together to develop initiatives which prevent loneliness and isolation. This will help to enable older people in Wales to remain healthy and active.
The Older People’s Commissioner has received £50k in addition to the annual budget of £1.5m to support the Ageing Well in Wales Programme. In recognition of the impact that loneliness and isolation has on the health and well being of older people in Wales she has ensured that this is a cross cutting theme throughout the programme. 

 
Angela Burns (Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire): What action is the Welsh Government taking to encourage people to take more responsibility for their health? (WAQ71102)

Answer received on 23 October 2017

Rebecca Evans: We are committed to promoting healthy and active lifestyles to prevent ill health and encourage general well‑being throughout life. Taking Wales Forward sets out our ambition to embed healthy living throughout our programmes and to place a focus on health at the core of everything we do.

We already have a range of existing policies, programmes and legislation in place to promote healthier lifestyles and we will strengthen these through a number of measures including the re-introduction of a Public Health Bill and a Well-Being Bond. 
 

To ask the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs

Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire): Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm where the sheet piles were sourced, for the flood defence work that is being carried out in Newport? (WAQ71103)

Answer received on 13 October 2016

The Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs (Lesley Griffiths): The Welsh Government provides funding to Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and to Local Authorities to carry out flood defence work. It is assumed the Member is referring to Newport, Pembrokeshire in his constituency. However neither the Local Authority nor NRW have work in progress there.