English: Diolch, Llywydd. I welcome the opportunity to introduce this debate today. Before I begin, I would like to mention that I have agreed to give a minute of my time to Russell George, Laura Anne Jones, Gareth Davies and Rhun ap Iorwerth, and I look forward to hearing your contributions later. Llywydd, it's no secret that the health and social care sector is under significant pressure, both in Wales and beyond. Waiting lists for treatment are ever increasing. Waiting times for ambulances in many cases are unacceptably long. We've all received casework from constituents detailing often harrowing experiences of seeing loved ones waiting in hospital corridors, or the lack of ambulances, or having to be driven to hospital by a loved one whilst seriously ill. Meanwhile, social care services are coming under increasing demand, with well-documented issues in staffing recruitment and retention stretching services. I'm fully aware that these issues are not specific to Wales; you only have to turn the television on to see what is going on elsewhere in the UK, but it's fair to say that issues seem more acute here in Wales. And it goes without saying that these issues are not down to the fantastic health and social care staff who work tirelessly day and night to help people as much as possible and provide excellent care and support. I know that the Welsh Government, and, indeed, the UK Government, have put in place various measures to try to tackle some of these issues. Only yesterday, we heard from the Minister about the winter pressures that the Welsh NHS is facing, and the steps that the Government is taking to try to ease some of these, such as securing an additional 500 community beds for step-down care, the regional integration fund and investing in urgent primary care centres, all of which I welcome, as I'm sure we all do across the Chamber.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd. Rwy'n croesawu'r cyfle i gyflwyno'r ddadl hon heddiw. Cyn dechrau, hoffwn nodi fy mod wedi cytuno i roi munud o fy amser i Russell George, Laura Anne Jones, Gareth Davies a Rhun ap Iorwerth, ac edrychaf ymlaen at glywed eich cyfraniadau yn nes ymlaen. Lywydd, nid yw'n gyfrinach fod y sector iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol o dan bwysau sylweddol, yng Nghymru a thu hwnt. Mae rhestrau aros am driniaethau yn cynyddu drwy'r amser. Mae amseroedd aros am ambiwlans mewn sawl achos yn annerbyniol o hir. Rydym i gyd wedi cael gwaith achos gan etholwyr sy'n manylu ar brofiadau dirdynnol yn aml o weld anwyliaid yn aros yng nghoridorau ysbytai, neu brinder ambiwlansys, neu orfod cael eu gyrru i'r ysbyty gan rywun annwyl pan fyddant yn ddifrifol wael. Yn y cyfamser, ceir galw cynyddol am wasanaethau gofal cymdeithasol, gyda phroblemau sydd wedi cael tipyn o sylw eisoes gyda recriwtio a chadw staff yn rhoi pwysau ar wasanaethau. Rwy'n gwbl ymwybodol nad yw'r materion hyn yn rhai penodol i Gymru; nid oes ond angen i chi wylio'r teledu i weld beth sy'n digwydd mewn mannau eraill yn y DU, ond mae'n deg dweud bod y problemau i'w gweld yn fwy difrifol yma yng Nghymru. Ac nid oes angen dweud nad bai'r staff iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol gwych yw'r problemau hyn, staff sy'n gweithio'n ddiflino ddydd a nos i helpu pobl gymaint â phosibl ac sy'n darparu gofal a chefnogaeth ragorol. Rwy'n gwybod bod Llywodraeth Cymru, a Llywodraeth y DU yn wir, wedi rhoi mesurau amrywiol ar waith i geisio mynd i'r afael â rhai o'r problemau hyn. Ddoe ddiwethaf, clywsom gan y Gweinidog am bwysau'r gaeaf y mae GIG Cymru yn eu hwynebu, a'r camau y mae'r Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd i geisio lleddfu peth ohono, megis sicrhau 500 o welyau cymunedol ychwanegol ar gyfer gofal cam-i-lawr, y gronfa integreiddio rhanbarthol a buddsoddi mewn canolfannau gofal sylfaenol brys, ac rwy'n croesawu'r cyfan ohonynt, fel pawb ar draws y Siambr, rwy'n siŵr.