HEALTH MINISTER VAUGHAN GETHING
COLUMNIST
FIRSTLY I want to thank you all for everything you continue to do to help slow the spread of Covid-19 in our communities.
These past few months have brought immense challenges, as well as loss and grief for so many families.
I know a great many of you have made some really difficult personal sacrifices during this time.
Be it working to keep our essential services going, or having to miss special family moments due to shielding.
Not to mention all of the children who have missed out on seeing their friends and teachers.
Cases of Covid-19 have now fallen significantly across Wales, and while the virus has not gone away, NHS Wales is already working to provide more essential services and plan ahead for this winter.
In some cases it will involve using services in a different way to access the right care, in the right place and at the right time – while also managing a backlog of non-Covid cases and planning for the flu season.
The potential for co-circulation of Covid-19 and flu makes this winter’s flu vaccination programme even more vital.
We are extending the free programme, making it our largest ever.
It will be really important that those in the eligible groups are vaccinated, and if you work in health or social care I would particularly urge you to have the flu vaccine.
More than ever, we must protect the most vulnerable in our communities, and in turn our NHS.
Preventing people becoming ill will reduce the pressure on our health services.
Subject to confirmation by the UK Government that additional vaccine supply will be available, this year’s programme will include households of those in the shielded groups, and those over 50, rather than the usual eligibility age of 65.
Additional supplies of the nasal spray flu vaccine for children will also be made available this year.
The NHS will contact you if you are eligible for the vaccine.
We are also looking at ways to make full use of the new technology introduced at speed during the pandemic, for example video consultation GP appointments.
These are now being trialled across pharmacies, opticians and NHS dentists. If we face a second wave of Covid-19 this winter, I expect we will see even greater use of this technology.
We’re also looking at the improvements we can make to the way people access emergency care, as part of our focus on delivering safe, personcentred health and care services.
We plan to introduce a ‘phone first’ system for access to A&E departments in parts of Wales before the winter.
A telephone triage service will signpost people to the right service for their condition or injury, or enable patients to be booked into a slot for assessment in A&E.
We know from studying who is treated in our A&E departments that a proportion of people could be better treated in other parts of the NHS.
The system, to be rolled out initially in Cardiff and the Vale, will ensure those with lifethreatening and serious complaints receive immediate treatment, and physical distancing guidance can be met.
The change will not impact on the 999 emergency ambulance service, which should continue to be used in life-or-death emergencies where immediate paramedic assistance is required.