English: I'd like to begin my contribution to today's debate by emphasising the importance of supporting people in their homes, concentrating on one aspect specifically. One specific area that can have a practical impact on improving the lives of many people is making adaptations to their homes: making it easier for people to use wheelchairs; a purpose-built shower; a stairlift; or railings to help people move round the house more easily. As my fellow Member Rhun ap Iorwerth mentioned, since 2011 we have seen a reduction of 21 per cent in the number of home adaptations in Wales and a 15 per cent reduction in cases where equipment is provided to people who need it. All of the problems and difficulties caused by bureaucracy in terms of accessing grants in order to make home adaptations continues to be a problem, and this was highlighted by the report by the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee back in 2013. But to date, it doesn't appear that there's been much effort to take action on some of the issues raised in that report and the reduction in provision does suggest that the issue hasn't been given due attention. Now, behind every statistic there is an individual. I met a constituent recently who was concerned about a child in the family who needs surgery. In order to care for the child after discharge from hospital, the home needs a series of adaptations. The delays in making arrangements for these adaptations means that the surgery itself is likely to be delayed too. This adds to the stress faced by the family and the child and is unacceptable. It impacts the quality of life of the child and its family and the delays can lead to further problems down the line as the child's medical condition deteriorates, leading to the need for further adaptation, which would be more expensive, ultimately. It's stories such as these that lie behind the statistics. I am looking into this case at the moment, but I suspect that it's a shortage of funding that's the heart of the problem - that is, that there isn't enough money available to assist everyone who needs adaptations in this current financial year and that social workers have to make decisions that are extremely difficult in prioritising who is to receive adaptations and when. But, if the Welsh Government's agenda is moving more and more towards preventative work, then there's room to argue that adaptations should be fairly funded, if the Government wants to pursue priorities it has set for itself in the preventative sphere. In turning to another aspect, it's true that the care profession isn't given the status and recognition it deserves. The working conditions are often very poor, and there isn't much opportunity for career development within this sector. Zero-hours contracts remain a feature within the sector, despite the efforts of Plaid Cymru to ban them - efforts that, unfortunately, were frustrated by Labour and the Conservatives on a number of occasions. These factors do combine to make recruitment in the sector very difficult, which therefore has an impact on the services provided. The failure to pay staff for travel time has a disproportionate impact in rural areas, and the shortage of Welsh speakers within the sector is a cause for concern, particularly when they deal with people who have lost the ability to understand and speak English. So, what can we do? Well, first of all, in terms of adaptations, certainly the Government needs to accept the recommendations of committee reports and to take action on them. Unfortunately, there isn't much evidence of this happening, looking at the most recent reports and the statistics in terms of adaptations. Without doubt, we need to give more recognition to the social care profession and give it due respect, with people encouraged to see the profession as a lifelong career, and that must include a pledge by Government to ban zero-hours contracts. Although it's true that expenditure has increased in real terms historically, the problem of underfunding social care persists. It's become like a stuck record to say this, but I will say it again and again, I'm sure, in this Chamber: we need to see far more collaboration between the health boards and the local authorities. The intermediate care fund must be a starting point and not the end of joint funding between the various institutions. We must have further integration between primary care, community care and social care for adults so that we can plan and provide care in a co-ordinated and person-centred way that's provided locally. Suzy Davies has raised some interesting points for debate this afternoon. It would be good to have more time to air those at some point in future. May I add the Alltwen Hospital in Tremadog as an example of good practice? These examples of good practice now need to be rolled out. We need to move to remove the artificial boundaries between health and social services, and community hospitals need to be a key part in this -
Welsh: Hoffwn ddechrau fy nghyfraniad i'r ddadl heddiw drwy sôn am bwysigrwydd cynnal pobl yn eu cartrefi er mwyn gwella gofal cymdeithasol, gan ganolbwyntio ar un agwedd i ddechrau. Un maes penodol ymarferol, sydd yn gallu cyfrannu at wella ansawdd bywydau llawer o bobl, yw gwneud addasiadau i'w cartrefi: ei gwneud hi'n haws i bobl defnyddio cadair olwyn; cawod bwrpasol; lifft i fyny'r grisiau; neu ddolenni i helpu pobl i symud o gwmpas y tŷ yn well. Fel y soniodd fy nghyd-Aelod Rhun ap Iorwerth, ers 2011 mi rydym ni wedi gweld gostyngiad o 21 y cant yn y nifer o addasiadau mewn cartrefi yng Nghymru, a 15 y cant o ostyngiad mewn achosion lle mae offer yn cael ei ddarparu i bobl sydd ei angen. Mae'r holl broblemau ac anawsterau sy'n cael eu hachosi gan fiwrocratiaeth i gael gafael ar grantiau er mwyn addasu cartrefi yn parhau i fod yn broblem. Cafodd hyn ei amlygu gan adroddiad y Pwyllgor Cymunedau, Cydraddoldeb a Llywodraeth nôl yn 2013. Ond, hyd yn hyn, nid yw'n ymddangos bod yna fawr o ymdrech i weithredu ar rai o'r materion a godwyd yn yr adroddiad hwnnw, ac mae'r gostyngiad yn y ddarpariaeth yn amlygu ac yn awgrymu nad yw'r mater wedi cael y sylw mae o'n ei haeddu. Y tu ôl i bob ystadegyn, mae yna berson cig a gwaed. Fe gefais i gyfarfod yn ddiweddar efo etholwr a oedd yn pryderu am blentyn yn y teulu sydd angen llawdriniaeth. Er mwyn gallu gofalu am y plentyn ar ôl iddo fo ddod yn ôl o'r ysbyty, mae angen i'r cartref dderbyn cyfres o addasiadau. Mae'r oedi wrth drefnu'r addasiadau hyn yn golygu bod y llawdriniaeth ei hun yn debygol o gael ei hoedi. Mae hyn yn ychwanegu at straen y teulu a'r plentyn, ac nid yw'n dderbyniol. Mae'n effeithio ar ansawdd byw y plentyn a'r teulu, ac fe all yr oedi arwain at fwy o broblemau i lawr y lein wrth i gyflwr meddygol y plentyn waethygu, gan arwain at yr angen am fwy o addasu a fydd yn costio mwy yn y pen draw. Straeon fel hyn sydd yn gorwedd y tu ôl i'r ystadegau. Rydw i'n ymchwilio i'r achos hwn ar hyn o bryd, ond rwy'n amau mai diffyg arian sydd wrth wraidd y broblem - hynny yw, nad oes digon o arian ar gael i helpu pawb sydd angen addasiadau yn y flwyddyn ariannol gyfredol a bod yn rhaid i weithwyr cymdeithasol wneud penderfyniadau tu hwnt o anodd wrth flaenoriaethu pwy sydd i gael addasiadau a phryd. Ond, os yw agenda Llywodraeth Cymru yn symud fwyfwy tuag at wneud gwaith ataliol, yna mae yna le i ddadlau y dylai addasiadau gael eu hariannu yn deg, os ydy'r Llywodraeth am ddilyn y blaenoriaethau mae hi'n gosod iddi hi ei hun yn y maes ataliol. I droi at agwedd arall, mae'n wir nad ydy'r proffesiwn gofal ddim yn derbyn y statws a'r gydnabyddiaeth y mae'n ei haeddu. Mae'r amodau gweithio yn aml yn wael, ac nid oes llawer o gyfle i bobl ddatblygu eu gyrfa fel rhan o'r sector yma. Mae contractau dim oriau - 'zero-hours contracts' - yn dal yn amlwg yn y sector, er gwaethaf ymdrechion Plaid Cymru i'w gwahardd nhw - ymdrechion, yn anffodus, a gafodd eu rhwystro gan Llafur a'r Ceidwadwyr nifer o weithiau. Mae'r ffactorau yma yn cyfuno i wneud recriwtio i'r sector yn eithriadol o anodd, sydd, felly, yn cael effaith ar y gwasanaethau sy'n cael eu cynnig. Mae'r methiant i dalu staff am yr amser pan maen nhw'n teithio yn cael effaith anghymesur ar ardaloedd gwledig, ac mae prinder siaradwyr Cymraeg yn y sector yn peri pryder, yn arbennig pan maen nhw'n delio â phobl sydd wedi colli'r gallu i ddeall a siarad Saesneg. Felly, beth fedrwn ni ei wneud? Wel, yn gyntaf, o ran yr addasiadau, yn sicr, mae angen i'r Llywodraeth dderbyn argymhellion adroddiadau'r pwyllgor a gweithredu arnyn nhw. Yn anffodus, nid oes llawer o dystiolaeth o hyn o edrych ar yr adroddiadau mwyaf diweddar ar yr ystadegau ynglŷn ag addasiadau. Heb os, mae'n rhaid i ni roi mwy o gydnabyddiaeth i'r proffesiwn gofal cymdeithasol a rhoi iddo'r parch mae o'n ei haeddu, gyda phobl yn cael eu hannog i weld y proffesiwn fel gyrfa hir oes, ac mae'n rhaid i hynny gynnwys addewid gan y Llywodraeth i wahardd contractau dim oriau. Er ei fod yn wir bod gwariant wedi codi mewn termau real yn hanesyddol, mae'r broblem o danariannu gofal cymdeithasol yn parhau i fod efo ni. Mae wedi mynd yn diwn gron bellach i ddweud hyn, ond rwyf am ei ddweud o ac rwyf am ddweud o eto ac eto ac eto, mae'n debyg, yn y Siambr yma: mae angen gweld llawer mwy o gydweithio rhwng byrddau iechyd ac awdurdodau lleol, ac mae'n rhaid i'r gronfa gofal canolradd fod yn fan cychwyn ac nid yn ben draw cyllido ar y cyd rhwng y sefydliadau gwahanol. Mae'n rhaid cael integreiddio pellach rhwng gofal cynradd, cymunedol a chymdeithasol i oedolion fel bod modd cynllunio a darparu gofal mewn ffordd gydlynol o gwmpas y person, a'i ddarparu yn lleol. Mae Suzy Davies wedi codi pwyntiau trafod defnyddiol a phwysig y prynhawn yma. Byddai'n braf cael mwy o amser i wyntyllu'r rheini ar ryw gyfle yn y dyfodol. A gaf i ychwanegu trefniadau Ysbyty Alltwen, Tremadog, i'r rhestr o arferion da? Ond mae angen i'r arferion da yma gael eu rowlio allan erbyn hyn. Mae angen symud i ddileu'r ffiniau artiffisial rhwng iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, ac mae angen i ysbytai cymunedol fod yn rhan allweddol o hyn -