Covid figures still too high and wider pressures on NHS must be addressed
BUhi’ nwy th nosgyntafodym or new yd dy Se neddbrys uri mi’r wythnos diwethaf, ac yn ystod y Cyfarfod Llawn bu cyfle i holi’r Gweinidog Iechyd am y diweddaraf ynghylch Covid-19 a’i hymateb i’r ffigyrau ar hyn obr yd. Mae’ na mlwgiaw ni mieu bod yn bryderus o gymharu efo sut mae pethau wedi bod dros yr haf – ac yn ll awerrhyuc he lo gym ha ruâf fig yr au’ r adeg yma llynedd.
Rwy’n croesawu’r cyhoeddiad ynglŷn â’r trydydd brechiad ac yn falch o weld bod staff iechyd wedi dechrau’i dderbyn yn barod. Cafwyd cyhoeddiad i gynnig y brechiad i blant rhwng 12 a 15 oed hefyd wrth gwrs. Bu croeso cynnes iawn gan y Coleg Brenhinol Pediatreg ac Iechyd Plantihwnfelc ami warchodl les ehangach plant a phobl ifanc, ond gofynnais i’r Llywodraeth pa adnoddau a chefnogaeth fydd yn cael eu rhoi i rieni, a theuluoedd, a phlant er mwyn eu galluoginhw id dodib en de rfy ni adeu hunain ynglŷn â’r brechiad.
Rhaid mynd i’r afael â’r pwysau ehangach sydd ar y GIG. Mae fy niolch i, aphawb,m or faw rib awbyny ma es iechyd a gofal, ond ar draws yr holl wasanaethau hynny mae yna gwestiynau mawr ynglŷn â chamau sydd angen eu cymryd ar frys er mwyn eu gwarchod.
Un peth fyddwn i’n hoffi ei weld byddai ymrwymiad i ddarparu llawer gwell data, i weld beth sy’n digwydd yn union mewn ysbytai, yn benodol y berthynas rhwng faint o bobl sydd mewn ysbytai, mewn adrannau gofal dwys, sydd wedi cael y brechiad ac sydd ddim a.y.b.. Byddai hynny’n ddefnyddiol i ni allu cael darlun gwell a mwy eglur o’r hyn sy’n digwydd o ran y feirws ar hyn o bryd.
Yn ein hysbytai, rydym yn clywed am ganslo triniaethau dewisol eto. Allwn ni ddim fforddio colli mwy o amser yn trin pobl - mae yna argyfwng yn barod. Mae yna angen am gynllun sy’n gwarchod yr elfen yna o’n darpariaeth iechyd ni, achos wrth i ni wynebu pwysau’r gaeaf yma, mae yna beryg rŵan bod y problemau yn dwysáu fwy fyth, a dyna pam ei bod hi’n hen bryd sicrhau bod y gweithgarwch “non-COVID” yn gallu parhau heb fwy o rwystr nag sydd rhaid.
Wythnos ddiwethaf hefyd, cymerais y cyfle i geisio cyflwyno deddfwriaeth a fyddai’n ei gwneud yn ofynnol i ddatblygwyr prosiectau ynni mawr asesu a dangos budd cymunedol gwirioneddol, ariannol ac unrhyw fuddion arall yn y balot i Gyflwyno Bil Aelod Unigol. Byddai hyn yn helpu i sicrhau bod anghenion lleol yn cael eu hystyried acy gellir rhannu elwâ chymunedau lleol ledled Cymru. Daw hyn wrth gwrs, wrth i sawl cynllun gael eu cyflwyno i ddatblygu ffermydd solar ar Ynys Môn sydd wedi dangos ychydig neu ddim budd i’r gymuned leol. Pe byddai fy Mil i’n cael ei ddewis, byddai hyn yn sicrhau fod cymunedau ym Môn a mannau eraill yng Nghymru yn elwa o gynlluniau mawr fel y cynlluniau solar a cat is yddarygwei ll arhynobr yd.
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IT was the first week of a busy new Senedd term for me last week, and during Plenary there was an opportunity to ask the Health Minister for an update on Covid-19 and her response to the figures on this at present.
It is very clear to me that they are anxious when compared to how things have been over the summer - and figures are far too high compared to this time last year.
I welcomed the announcement of the booster vaccination, and I am pleased to see that health staff have already begun to receive it. There was also an announcement to offer the vaccination to children aged 12 to 15, of course.
This has been welcomed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health as a move to protect the wider welfare of children and young people, but I asked the Government what resources and support will be given to parents, and families, and children to enable them to make their own decision about vaccination.
The wider pressures on the NHS must be addressed. I’m so grateful to everyone in the health and care field, but across all those services there are big questions to be answered and urgent actions to be taken to protect them.
One thing I would like to see would be a commitment to provide better data, to see exactly what is happening in hospitals, specifically how many people are in intensive care departments that have received the vaccine or not. That would help us to get a better and clearer picture of what is happening with the virus now.
In our hospitals, we hear about elective surgery cancellations again.
We cannot afford to lose more time treating people - there is a crisis on our hands already.
There is a need for a plan that protects that element of our health provision, because as we face the pressures of this winter, there is now a danger that the problems are escalating, which is why it’s about time that the non-covid activity can continue without any delay.
Last week, I also took the opportunity to try to introduce legislation that would require developers of large energy projects to assess and demonstrate real, financial and any other community benefits in the ballot to submit an individual member’s bill. This would help ensure that local needs are considered, and profits can be shared with local communities across Wales.
This comes of course, as several schemes have been introduced to develop solar farms on Anglesey that have shown little or no benefit to the local community.
If my Bill were to be selected, this would ensure that communities on Anglesey and elsewhere in Wales benefit from major schemes such as the solar schemes etc currently underway.
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