Speaking in the Welsh Conservative Debate on ‘NHS Wales Capacity’, I noted that referral to treatment targets continue to be missed and that the A&E Waiting times target has not been met in 10 years. I also referred to a new BMA Wales report showing that 21 GP practices had closed since October 2015, that a further 82 are at risk, and that 29 are now Health Board managed, with the largest number in North Wales, despite evidence that managed practices do not provide value for money.
Noting that West Wales and the Valleys, including four North Wales Counties, remains the least prosperous UK region, and that the Welsh Government has announced £7 million funding for the Valleys Regional Park, I challenged the Local Government Secretary over equivalent funding for North Wales.
I called for Welsh Government Statements on Modern Slavery, with UK Anti-slavery Day on 18 October, and on Post-Polio Syndrome, with Post-Polio Syndrome Day on 22 October.
Responding to the Welsh Government Statement on its “Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living” Plan, I referred to a meeting I attended with Flintshire Council Officers “regarding the inability of wheelchair users to access the coastal path. We were told that they would tell us what size wheelchair we should tell people to have……a gross breach….of the Equalities Act and Welsh legislation”, and to a group of autistic people who “have been seeking a round-table meeting with Flintshire now for over seven months. We took it up with the Chief Executive. He blamed the autistic people, who are suffering heightened anxiety, meltdown, suicidal thoughts because of a failure to understand what the communication and social needs of autistic people are”.
Cardiff engagements included a visit to the ‘Autism Directory’ Charity, a joint meeting of the Cross Party Groups on Disability, Older People and Housing, and the Cross Party Group for North Wales.
Speaking at the third North Wales Annual Autism Conference, I noted that although the Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething, recently stated that the proposed Autism (Wales) Bill is “not the right answer”, the autism community has overwhelmingly made it clear that they support it, and therefore urged people to encourage every AM to vote for the Bill.
I also attended both the Fundraising Evening in Brymbo for North Wales Charity ‘Your Space’, which supports children and young people on the Autistic Spectrum, and the ‘Lend me your Ears 2018’ Hearing Loss Conference in Bangor University.
If you need my help, please email mark.isherwood@assembly.wales or ring 0300 200 7219.