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Peredur Owen Griffiths, who represents Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

Barely a day goes by without some story hitting the news about the state of the NHS in Wales. Between the strike action from ambulance workers and nurses to the accounts of horrendously long waits in A&E, the NHS is in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. When you consider these matters as well as the huge delays to the waiting lists, it is fair to say that the much-cherished NHS is in a precarious position.

You could be forgiven for thinking that the NHS is in crisis. This is the message that is coming over loud and clear in meetings with NHS staff and the trade unions representing them.

Just last week, I attended an event on the future of emergency care by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine. The stories I heard about what staff are having to face on a daily basis were nothing short of horrific and heart-breaking. Describing the NHS as being in crisis is therefore a safe enough conclusion to draw…unless you’re a Labour Senedd Member that is.

Last week, Plaid Cymru put forward a Senedd debate that called on the Labour Government to acknowledge what many staff on the frontline have told us; namely that the NHS in Wales is in crisis. Not one single Labour MS voted in support of our motion. If they genuinely are unable to admit that the NHS is in crisis right now, I would not like to see what it would take for them to admit this.

To solve any problem, it is customary to acknowledge that the problem exists and the extent of the problem. Unfortunately, we have a Labour Government in Wales that is happy to point the finger of blame at the Tories in Westminster (who rightly deserve scorn for the way they have run down public services) but are much less keen to focus on the areas where they can make a difference. It is only right that Labour take their fair share of responsibility for the state of the NHS given they have effectively been in charge of it in Wales ever since 1997. 

Fortunately, Plaid Cymru has a number of positive policy proposals that we are happy for the Labour Government to adopt if they have run out of ideas after 26 years of running the Welsh NHS. Our plans to turn things around are designed to improve the experience of patients, as well as the staff who keep the NHS together with their selflessness and dedication. 

Our five-point plan is as follows:

1. Pay: Providing a fair deal for NHS workers to create the foundation for a sustainable health and care service.
2. Workforce Retention: Making our NHS an attractive place to work.
3. Prevention: Significantly elevating the prominence and priority given to preventative health measures.
4. Health and Social Care Interaction: Taking a sustainable approach to ensure a seamless service.
5. Delivering the Recovery: Creating a resilient health and care service fit for the future.

These ideas have been developed and honed after many, many conversations with NHS staff and the various organisations that represent them. We have listened to frontline workers and we have acted.

I hope the Labour Government will do likewise and provide the leadership that staff and patients alike are crying out for.