FRONTLINE HEALTH SERVICE A BUDGET PRIORITY, FIRST MINISTER TELLS NHS MANAGERS

First Minister Carwyn Jones has reassured health service professionals that the Assembly Government will do all it can to protect NHS frontline services in its Draft Budget, which is published next week.

The First Minister was addressing delegates at a major international conference in Cardiff today [Thursday 11 November] on chronic conditions, public health and the challenges that face the NHS.

He said:  “Next week, the Welsh Assembly Government will publish its draft budget for the next four years.  I can’t reveal the detail of that yet, of course, but let me make this commitment to you;  the NHS is, and always will be a priority for the Assembly Government, and we are doing all we can to protect this cherished service.

The First Minister said that the NHS is already performing more efficiently than it did some years ago.  He said that the average length of stay in hospital for orthopaedic care and treatment had fallen by a whole day since 2005 and nearly 6,000 fewer operations are cancelled each year.  He said that streamlining the NHS to 10 organisations was making savings and management costs are falling.

He said:  “The fact is that increased efficiency and better public services go hand-in-hand.  A shorter length of stay is better for the patient, as well as being more cost-effective to the NHS.”

“The partnership model that we are following in Wales is essential is we are to successfully tackle the issues that cut across all public services.  Only by working across all public services to address the wider factors which affect people’s health – like poor housing or educational attainment – can we make a difference.”

The First Minister continued:  “There are tough decisions ahead, and these will inevitably impact on staff.  We have to work with them to find a way through, because staff know better than anyone else how to save money – so that we can deliver the same or better quality services.”

Concluding his speech, the First Minister said:  “The NHS was born in Wales, and is the pride of Wales.  I’m proud that the NHS in Wales has remained true to the principles of its founder, Aneurin Bevan, with services provided free at the point of need.  That’s why I’ve promised that universal benefits such as free prescriptions are here to stay.

“Past experience has shown what happens when financial pressures are translated into all-round cuts in services – with those in greatest need often taking the biggest hit.  It’s that overarching principle of chwarae teg, fair play to all our people, on which the NHS was founded and which my Government is basing its priorities.  And I know that you as NHS staff who care for any patient, regardless of their background, will appreciate that principle more than most.”

 

Click here to read the full speech.