Written question WQ98276
- Asked by
- Janet Finch-SaundersConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 2 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the pressures that health boards faced over the winter months?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
I made a statement to the Senedd on 13 January about NHS winter pressures.
Urgent and emergency care services experienced variable levels of complexity and demand, alongside capacity challenges arising from factors such as incidence of acute respiratory illnesses and concerns related to infection prevention and control.
Comprehensive planning and mitigation strategies, including the implementation of an ‘early discharge winter sprint,’ were conducted at national, regional, and local levels.
Although the emergency care system, in particular, experienced severe pressures, these efforts enabled the health and social care system to deliver more robust services, demonstrating an improved resilience compared to last year, and supporting the majority of people to access quality care in a timely manner.