English: Can I start also by thanking the Health and Social Care Committee, along with Russell George's chairmanship, for bringing forward today's debate and report, 'Waiting well? The impact of the waiting times backlog on people in Wales'. As someone who isn't a member of the committee, I found this report extremely important, as the current waiting times across Wales impact everyone, and sadly impact my region of North Wales probably the most. In contributing to today's committee report debate, I'd like to highlight just three particular areas that the committee have looked into, which I think are key. Firstly, as stated in the report, are the statistics regarding the waiting times and the data that should be made available. And as already outlined, around one in five people in Wales are on a waiting list - certainly not good enough, as I'm sure the Minister accepts. And behind these numbers, as Rhun ap Iorwerth has already said, are real people suffering day in and day out. And certainly, when looking at my region of North Wales, earlier this year in January 2022, which, of course, is going to be a peak time for a health board, but, nonetheless, there were around 148,000 patient pathways, people waiting to start treatment - 148,000 people in a population of around 700,000 is quite a stark number. Of course, these numbers are repeated in other health boards, but I have a parochial interest as a North Wales regional Member, and want to see this number reduced as quickly as possible. Of course, it's not right that people are paying their taxes and national insurance for these health services, and yet, they're having to wait such a long time to be seen, and during that time waiting to be seen, they are, of course, having a difficult time and sadly are suffering. So, the first area is around the data and reporting the data and those statistics being readily available so they can be analysed quickly and easily. The second area when looking at the impact of waiting times, and that the report highlights as a long-standing issue, is around the recruitment and retention of staff. As we know, the retention of existing staff is a huge problem for health services at the moment, meaning that the sector continues to struggle and maintain current staffing levels, let alone increase them, and it's certainly an issue in the region I represent in north Wales. Of course, if we want to attract more nurses and doctors and other healthcare workers to come in and work in the NHS, we certainly need to see some action to make the service more appealing and highlight the opportunities that come with it. And I certainly want to see our health boards performing well so we can see more people coming into the health service and taking those important jobs and we can retain them in those positions as well. Finally, the third area, which has already been outlined in today's report and mentioned by the Chairman a little earlier on, is the need for really clear leadership and a clear plan to effectively deal with the waiting times backlog in Wales. Because, as we know, the problem, yes, was certainly exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but was certainly there before COVID-19 was upon us. And regretfully, whenever we see any waiting list statistics, it's the people of north Wales who continue to suffer the most. So, we urgently need clear leadership to take responsibility for a plan of action to rectify this and ensure that the people I represent are not forgotten about. And in this plan, there need to be effective measures to modernise the health service - again, as has already been mentioned by previous Members - with a renewed focus on innovation and digital, and moving forward with these innovative ideas, which will make the work of our front-line workers so much easier. So, in closing, I would again like to thank the committee for their efforts and this piece of work. Also, I appreciate that the Welsh Government and the Minister have accepted 26 of the committee's recommendations in full and the other in principle, of course. Because the current situation is simply not good enough and it cannot continue; we can't afford for it to continue, for the sake of our people here in Wales. So, putting into action the committee's report could see real improvements to tackle this extremely concerning waiting list backlog in Wales, which we so desperately need. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Welsh: A gaf fi ddechrau hefyd drwy ddiolch i'r Pwyllgor Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol, ynghyd â chadeiryddiaeth Russell George, am gyflwyno'r ddadl a'r adroddiad heddiw, 'Aros yn Iach? Effaith yr ôl-groniad o ran amseroedd aros ar bobl yng Nghymru'. Fel rhywun nad yw'n aelod o'r pwyllgor, roedd yr adroddiad hwn yn eithriadol o bwysig i mi, gan fod yr amseroedd aros presennol ledled Cymru yn effeithio ar bawb, ac yn anffodus yn effeithio fwyaf ar fy rhanbarth i, sef Gogledd Cymru, mae'n debyg. Wrth gyfrannu at ddadl adroddiad y pwyllgor heddiw, hoffwn dynnu sylw at dri maes penodol y mae'r pwyllgor wedi ymchwilio iddynt sy'n allweddol yn fy marn i. Yn gyntaf, fel y nodwyd yn yr adroddiad, ceir yr ystadegau mewn perthynas â'r amseroedd aros a'r data y dylid sicrhau ei fod ar gael. Ac fel yr amlinellwyd eisoes, mae tua un o bob pump o bobl yng Nghymru ar restr aros - yn sicr nid yw'n ddigon da, fel y mae'r Gweinidog yn derbyn, rwy'n siŵr. A thu ôl i'r niferoedd hyn, fel y mae Rhun ap Iorwerth eisoes wedi'i ddweud, mae pobl go iawn yn dioddef o ddydd i ddydd. Ac yn sicr, wrth edrych ar fy rhanbarth i, Gogledd Cymru, yn gynharach eleni ym mis Ionawr 2022, sydd, wrth gwrs, yn adeg brysur i fwrdd iechyd, ond serch hynny, roedd tua 148,000 o lwybrau cleifion, pobl yn aros i ddechrau triniaeth - mae 148,000 o bobl mewn poblogaeth o tua 700,000 yn nifer go syfrdanol. Wrth gwrs, mae'r niferoedd hyn yn cael eu hailadrodd mewn byrddau iechyd eraill, ond mae gennyf ddiddordeb plwyfol fel Aelod rhanbarthol o Ogledd Cymru, ac rwyf eisiau gweld y nifer hwn yn gostwng cyn gynted â phosibl. Wrth gwrs, nid yw'n iawn fod pobl yn talu eu trethi a'u hyswiriant gwladol am y gwasanaethau iechyd hyn, ac eto, maent yn gorfod aros cyhyd i gael eu gweld, ac yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw o aros i gael eu gweld, maent yn cael amser anodd wrth gwrs, ac yn anffodus, maent yn dioddef. Felly, mae'r maes cyntaf yn ymwneud â'r data ac adrodd ar y data a sicrhau bod yr ystadegau hynny ar gael yn rhwydd fel y gellir eu dadansoddi'n gyflym ac yn hawdd. Mae'r ail faes, wrth edrych ar effaith amseroedd aros, ar hyn y mae'r adroddiad yn nodi ei fod yn fater hirsefydlog, yn ymwneud â recriwtio a chadw staff. Fel y gwyddom, mae cadw staff presennol yn broblem enfawr i wasanaethau iechyd ar hyn o bryd, sy'n golygu bod y sector yn parhau i'w chael hi'n anodd cynnal y lefelau staffio presennol, heb sôn am eu cynyddu, ac mae'n sicr yn broblem yn y rhanbarth rwy'n ei gynrychioli yn y gogledd. Wrth gwrs, os ydym eisiau denu mwy o nyrsys a meddygon a gweithwyr gofal iechyd eraill i ddod i weithio yn y GIG, yn sicr mae angen inni weld rhywfaint o weithredu i wneud y gwasanaeth yn fwy deniadol ac amlygu'r cyfleoedd a ddaw yn ei sgil. Ac rwy'n sicr eisiau gweld ein byrddau iechyd yn perfformio'n dda fel y gallwn ddenu mwy o bobl i'r gwasanaeth iechyd a sicrhau ein bod yn llenwi'r swyddi pwysig hynny a'n bod yn gallu eu cadw yn y swyddi hynny hefyd. Yn olaf, y trydydd maes, sydd eisoes wedi'i amlinellu yn yr adroddiad heddiw a'i grybwyll gan y Cadeirydd ychydig yn gynharach, yw'r angen am arweiniad gwirioneddol glir a chynllun clir i ymdrin yn effeithiol â'r ôl-groniad o ran amseroedd aros yng Nghymru. Oherwydd, fel y gwyddom, yn sicr, cafodd y broblem ei gwaethygu gan bandemig COVID-19, ond roedd yn sicr yno cyn COVID. Ac yn anffodus, pryd bynnag y gwelwn unrhyw ystadegau rhestrau aros, pobl gogledd Cymru sy'n parhau i ddioddef fwyaf. Felly, mae arnom angen arweiniad clir ar frys i gymryd cyfrifoldeb am gynllun gweithredu i unioni hyn a sicrhau nad yw'r bobl rwy'n eu cynrychioli yn cael eu hanghofio. Ac yn y cynllun hwn, mae angen mesurau effeithiol i foderneiddio'r gwasanaeth iechyd - unwaith eto, fel y crybwyllwyd eisoes gan Aelodau blaenorol - gan ganolbwyntio o'r newydd ar arloesedd a digidol, a symud ymlaen gyda'r syniadau arloesol hyn, a fydd yn gwneud gwaith ein gweithwyr rheng flaen gymaint yn haws. Felly, i gloi, hoffwn ddiolch eto i'r pwyllgor am eu hymdrechion ac am y gwaith hwn. Hefyd, rwy'n sylweddoli bod Llywodraeth Cymru a'r Gweinidog wedi derbyn 26 o argymhellion y pwyllgor yn llawn a'r llall mewn egwyddor, wrth gwrs. Oherwydd nid yw'r sefyllfa bresennol yn ddigon da ac ni all barhau; ni allwn fforddio gadael iddo barhau, er mwyn ein pobl yma yng Nghymru. Felly, gallai gweithredu adroddiad y pwyllgor arwain at welliannau gwirioneddol i fynd i'r afael â'r ôl-groniad hwn o ran rhestrau aros sy'n peri pryder mawr yng Nghymru, ac mae gwir angen inni wneud hynny. Diolch yn fawr iawn.