Written question WQ85023
- Asked by
- Mike HedgesLabour
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 11 days
Question
What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure a) children and b) adults in Wales diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, have both the clinical psychologist and social worker resourcing available in their multidisciplinary team, as set out in the service specifications for adult and paediatric care?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services
The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) is responsible for commissioning cystic fibrosis (CF) care in Wales. During 2018/19, they made significant investment in the All-Wales Adult Cystic Fibrosis Centre, based in Cardiff intended primarily to support the recruitment of additional Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) staff to meet the standards of care for CF patients.
The investment included an additional social/youth worker and clinical psychologist and these, when set alongside the investment in other MDT posts, enables the service to deliver against the standards set out in WHSSC’s CF service specification and to deliver care closer to home. There is an ongoing recruitment process due to some staff turnover and the vacant positions should be filled in the next few months.
The current infrastructure funding for the paediatric CF service in south Wales includes a clinical psychologist which is in line with national standards. The services accessed in NHS England also meet national standards.