Politics

The Ministerial Taskforce for the South Wales Valleys has been holding a series of public meetings across the region to seek the views of communities about priorities for their local areas and this week the taskforce are meeting at the Cynon Valley Indoor Bowls Centre in Mountain Ash.

Speaking ahead of the meeting Alun Davies said: 

“Understanding and awareness of the work of the taskforce is growing and the engagement sessions we’ve held to date have been invaluable in helping to shape our priorities. It is vital we continue to work with and listen to communities and ensure we keep this momentum going. 

“From the discussions we’ve had with the public so far, some key themes have emerged. These include the importance of linking businesses with local schools to give young people the confidence and skills they need to enter into the world of work and the importance of linking infrastructure like industrial sites, schools, colleges and transport initiatives together, ensuring true connectivity for the valleys. 

“I would urge anyone who feels passionately about where they live to engage with the work of the taskforce and have their say. We’re here to listen and your views will help shape our shared vision for the valleys.”

The taskforce was set up by the Welsh Government in July and aims to build on work previously undertaken across the South Wales Valleys in a more coordinated and targeted way to meet the needs of valley communities.

To learn more about the work of the taskforce or to sign up to attend one of the public meetings, please visit the Facebook page.

The decision comes off the back of a positive independent evaluation of the model commissioned by the Emergency Ambulance Services Committee (EASC).

The clinical response model, announced in summer 2015, moves away from historic time-based targets for all but the most immediately life-threatening or ‘Red’ calls. It places a greater focus on patient outcomes, prioritising those in most need of an urgent response. 

The target is for 65 per cent of the most urgent ‘Red calls’ to be responded to in eight minutes. The 65% target has been achieved each month since the trial started in October 2015; performance has continued to improve and in each of the last 9 months, more than 75% of red calls have received an emergency response within eight minutes. 

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said: 

“Since the implementation of the new clinical response pilot, the Welsh Ambulance Service has improved its performance significantly.

“The independent evaluation published today backs our decision to take the bold step to adopt the new model, following the successful pilot. The fact they found there to be clear and universal acknowledgement, both from within the ambulance service and external partners, that moving to the new model was appropriate and the right thing to do, is excellent news.

“I also welcome that the report confirms response time performance for those in most need of an immediate clinical intervention has improved substantially. The latest ambulance statistics confirm this with a standard response time of less than five minutes to immediately life-threatening calls in each of the last six months. 

“I’d like to thank Welsh Ambulance Service, the ambulance service call handlers, clinicians, volunteers and other staff for their hard work in making the model the success it has been.

“It’s fantastic that the pilot has attracted global interest and the Welsh ambulance service  has not only been invited to provide advice to a number of ambulance services in England and Scotland, but further afield to Canada, New Zealand, Australia, USA and Chile. The Scottish Ambulance Services Trust is currently undertaking a nationwide pilot of a very similar model to our own.

“It is crucial that we now grasp the opportunity and continue to lead the way internationally in this important area for the benefit of the people of Wales.”