How will the Minister ensure that the working group convened by the Welsh Government to assess the needs of people waiting longer for surgery will continue to operate and develop actions, as necessary?
Assessing needs of patients waiting for surgery forms an important part of recovery and reset. The orthopaedic board has commenced work to help it understand how best to support people waiting for orthopaedic procedures. This work will seek to develop appropriate models of support.
We have recently released £100m to support reset and recovery within health boards. A number of health boards are using this to implement support functions for patients waiting for surgery. I have been clear that recovery will take time and maintaining patient’s safety while they wait is a priority. The NHS needs to communicate with their patients while they wait. This will include assessment of need and provision of appropriate care to keep them safe while they wait.