(Title Image: ITV Wales)
Cancer referrals “back to normal levels”
Shadow Health Minister, Andrew RT Davies MS (Con, South Wales Central), was alarmed by the increase in excess deaths as a result of causes other than Covid-19, as well as a recent estimate putting the number of people with undiagnosed cancers in Wales as high as 3,000.
“Since the start of the pandemic….in Wales, female deaths from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in the home have gone up by 92% against the five-year average. Male deaths from heart disease at home in Wales have gone up by 22% above the five-year average. Excess deaths at home were mostly due to deaths not involving Covid-19. What is your plan to tackle these excess deaths?”
– Shadow Health Minister, Andrew RT Davies MS
Health Minister, Vaughan Gething (Lab, Cardiff S. & Penarth), confirmed that many routine cancer services have restarted, including – importantly – screening services. Cancer referrals were said to be at “normal levels”.
Keeping the pandemic under control would, in itself, help deal with excess deaths – particularly in light of critical care capacity.
“….we have a critical care base of 152 beds. About a third of our current capacity….is taken up with coronavirus patients. Now that means we’re already seeing a high number of people with non-Covid causes. We want to maintain that activity through the winter, to make sure that we minimise any harm that is caused by the necessary choices that we need to make to keep control of the pandemic.”
– Health Minister, Vaughan Gething
Lighthouse lab use risks undermining confidence in care home testing
Rhun ap Iorwerth MS (Plaid, Ynys Môn) was disappointed by a decision by the Minister for routine testing in care homes to be undertaken by the controversial Lighthouse labs given that issues remain there. Does this undermine confidence in a sector which was already highly vulnerable?
The Minister didn’t think so. He accepted there remained issues with Lighthouse labs, but the situation was improving and extra capacity could be freed-up to test the public at large.
“We’re moving to a position where Lighthouse labs, when it comes to their operation around care homes, are improving the turnaround….We’ve seen some improvement. We want to see it improve further. And this provides a consistency of provision, because I fully expect that local partners will, as we see high prevalence rates at present, want to move to the more regular weekly testing….That then means that our Public Health Wales capacity can be deployed to support community outbreaks, which we know have increased and we know we are likely to need to deal with, as we go through the winter.”
– Health Minister, Vaughan Gething
