Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, calls for clarity on Welsh Government’s plans for collaboration between the Welsh and English health services.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Rowlands, Shadow Health Minister said there was confusion about how this new partnership would work and called for more clarity.
He said:
I’d like to call for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, giving details on the British and Welsh Government’s plans for collaboration between the Welsh and English health services.
We heard from the leader of Plaid Cymru some of the confusion in relation to this, and I’ve raised it in this Chamber in recent weeks as well.
We know the Cabinet Secretary has set up an advisory group primarily looking at waiting lists, but the written statement in relation to this made no reference to this supposed partnership with the British Government. Seemingly, in multiple interviews he has rejected the idea of increasing the number of Welsh patients going to hospitals in England, despite this being an announcement from the Secretary of State for Wales just a few weeks ago at the Labour Party conference.
To clear the air on this issue, and to get some clarity around the confusion around this new partnership working, we’d welcome a statement on these plans as soon as possible a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
Jane Hut, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefynydd and Chief Whip said the Cabinet Secretary, Jeremy Miles had announced an external ministerial advisory group on NHS performance and productivity and meetings were due to start next week.
Mr Rowlands added:
Labour’s Health Minister, Jeremy Miles’ ideological refusal to commit to comprehensive cross-border collaboration to reduce NHS waits will damage the prospects of patients across Wales.
The current guidance for both cross-border and cross-community working is incredibly restrictive and is, in my view, a contributing factor to Wales having the longest NHS waits in the whole UK.
Labour ministers need to swallow their pride, accept the support on offer that they failed to grasp when brought forward by the Conservatives and scrap the guidance that effectively imprisons patients within their local area, regardless of the length of wait.
Sam Rowlands AS yn galw am ddatrys dryswch ynghylch trafod cydweithredu trawsffiniol i'r GIG
Mae Sam Rowlands, yr Aelod o’r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru, yn galw am eglurder ar gynlluniau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer cydweithredu rhwng gwasanaethau iechyd Cymru a Lloegr.
Wrth siarad yn y Senedd, dywedodd Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog Iechyd yr Wrthblaid, fod dryswch ynghylch sut y byddai'r bartneriaeth newydd hon yn gweithio a galwodd am fwy o eglurder.
Dywedodd:
Hoffwn i alw am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol, gan roi manylion am gynlluniau Llywodraeth Prydain a Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer cydweithredu rhwng gwasanaethau iechyd Cymru a Lloegr.
Gwnaethon ni glywed gan arweinydd Plaid Cymru yn gynharach am rywfaint o'r dryswch o ran hyn, ac rwyf i wedi'i godi yn y Siambr hon yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf hefyd. Rydyn ni'n gwybod bod yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet wedi sefydlu grŵp cynghori sy'n edrych ar restrau aros yn bennaf, ond ni wnaeth y datganiad ysgrifenedig o ran hyn gyfeirio at y bartneriaeth dybiedig hon â Llywodraeth Prydain ac, yn ôl pob tebyg, mewn sawl cyfweliad mae ef wedi ymwrthod â'r syniad o gynyddu nifer y cleifion o Gymru sy'n mynd i ysbytai yn Lloegr, er bod hyn wedi'i gyhoeddi gan Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru gyda thipyn o sbloet ychydig wythnosau'n ôl yng nghynhadledd y Blaid Lafur.
Felly, er mwyn clirio'r awyr ar y mater hwn, ac i gael rhywfaint o eglurder ynghylch y dryswch ynghylch y gwaith partneriaeth newydd hwn, bydden ni'n croesawu datganiad ar y cynlluniau hyn cyn gynted â phosibl gan yr Ysgrifennydd Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol.
Dywedodd Jane Hut, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, Trefnydd a'r Prif Chwip fod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, Jeremy Miles wedi cyhoeddi grŵp cynghori gweinidogol allanol ar berfformiad a chynhyrchiant y GIG a bod cyfarfodydd i fod i ddechrau wythnos nesaf.
Ychwanegodd Mr Rowlands:
Bydd gwrthodiad ideolegol Gweinidog Iechyd Llafur, Jeremy Miles, i ymrwymo i gydweithredu trawsffiniol cynhwysfawr i leihau rhestrau aros y GIG yn niweidio rhagolygon cleifion ledled Cymru.
Mae'r canllawiau presennol ar gyfer gweithio trawsffiniol a thraws-gymunedol yn hynod o gyfyngol ac yn ffactor sy'n cyfrannu at y ffaith mai Cymru sydd â’r rhestrau aros hiraf yn y GIG yn y DU gyfan.
Mae angen i weinidogion Llafur lyncu eu balchder, derbyn y gefnogaeth sydd ar gael iddyn nhw y gwnaethon nhw fethu â manteisio arno wrth iddo gael ei gyflwyno gan y Ceidwadwyr a chael gwared ar y canllawiau sy'n carcharu cleifion yn eu hardal leol i bob pwrpas, waeth beth fo hyd yr aros.
