English: Diolch, Llywydd. According to the Welsh Government's latest statistics, in December 2020, there were 25,182 people waiting over 36 weeks for treatment, compared with 726 people waiting for the same length of time in 2019 in the Hywel Dda University Health Board area. That's a snapshot of just one area of Wales, which shows an eye-watering increase in the number of people desperately waiting for NHS treatment. And as Members have already said, behind those figures are real people living anxiously and in some cases, in severe discomfort and pain. Now, during that time, the COVID pandemic has meant that the focus of the NHS has been to tackle the virus and its impact on our people and communities, and we all have to accept that the pandemic has had a very real impact on our health services and their ability to carry out elective surgeries and routine treatments. That's why there were calls last year for COVID-free hospitals to be established so that some progress, at least, could be made in tackling the increasing backlog in treatments across the country. However, we're now at a point where the vaccination programme is making significant progress in Wales, with more and more people vaccinated every day, and that's why it's crucial that the Welsh Government now publish a specific recovery plan for tackling waiting times on the Welsh NHS and provide people waiting for treatment with some hope that the backlog will be tackled and that they will finally receive the treatment that they need. I'm certainly not alone in receiving correspondence from people desperate to hear when they're likely to receive the treatment that they need, and the lack of information that they've received whilst waiting for treatment has left people frustrated and anxious. Therefore, I hope that the Minister will reflect on that and at the very least, take back to local health boards that there needs to be better communication with people waiting for treatment to explain their position and the local circumstances. There are also very serious concerns from charities and organisations such as the Wales Cancer Network regarding the capacity of the NHS to deal with backlogs. For example, Professor Tom Crosby of the Wales Cancer Network has warned that an unprecedented tsunami of demand for cancer services is coming. Indeed, we know that more than a third of patients with suspected cancer are waiting too long to start their first definitive treatment, according to the Welsh Government's first set of suspected cancer pathway figures published recently. And those are just the cases that we know about. The pandemic has meant that many patients with suspected cancer have not presented to their GPs, and so there could be further pressure on services as we emerge from the pandemic, as more people report potential symptoms to their GPs. Therefore, for services to be developed for the future to tackle the backlog in treatments, we must also factor the unseen challenges like this, which will have an impact on the future demands on our NHS services. As the Welsh Government develops its recovery plan for the NHS, there are several issues that it needs to consider when planning the delivery of future services. Firstly, the Welsh Government needs to ensure that the NHS's diagnostic infrastructure is sufficient to meet the future demand as well as tackling the current NHS waiting lists, and the Minister and his officials must reflect on current models of delivery, particularly as things like clinical practice and technology continue to change. And secondly, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, I hope that the Minister and his officials are exploring ways in which we can better build resilience within the NHS so that we don't just fall back into the old ways of delivering health services. I believe that there may be scope to look at how we can use the additional capacity developed during the pandemic, such as the field hospital capacity, to help deliver services, particularly in the short and medium terms. And so, perhaps in responding to this debate, the Minister can tell us a bit more about the strategic discussions that he's having about how we deliver health services post pandemic. So, in closing, Llywydd, it's vital that these issues are seriously considered as a recovery plan is developed for the Welsh NHS, and that a strategy is developed that balances the need to tackle the backlog and also provides enough resilience in the system to meet the challenges of the future. And I would therefore urge Members to support this Welsh Conservative motion. Diolch yn fawr.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd. Yn ôl ystadegau diweddaraf Llywodraeth Cymru, ym mis Rhagfyr 2020, roedd 25,182 o bobl yn aros dros 36 wythnos am driniaeth, o gymharu â 726 o bobl yn aros am yr un hyd o amser yn 2019 yn ardal Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Hywel Dda. Dyna gipolwg ar un ardal yn unig yng Nghymru, sy'n dangos cynnydd mawr yn nifer y bobl sy'n aros yn daer am driniaeth y GIG. Ac fel y mae Aelodau eisoes wedi dweud, y tu ôl i'r ffigurau hynny mae pobl go iawn yn byw'n bryderus ac mewn rhai achosion, mewn anghysur a phoen difrifol. Nawr, yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw, mae pandemig COVID wedi golygu mai ffocws y GIG oedd mynd i'r afael â'r feirws a'i effaith ar ein pobl a'n cymunedau, ac mae'n rhaid i bob un ohonom dderbyn bod y pandemig wedi cael effaith go iawn ar ein gwasanaethau iechyd a'u gallu i gyflawni llawdriniaethau dewisol a thriniaethau rheolaidd. Dyna pam y cafwyd galwadau y llynedd am sefydlu ysbytai di-COVID fel y gellid gwneud rhywfaint o gynnydd, o leiaf, ar fynd i'r afael â'r ôl-groniad cynyddol o driniaethau ledled y wlad. Fodd bynnag, rydym bellach ar bwynt lle mae'r rhaglen frechu yn gwneud cynnydd sylweddol yng Nghymru, gyda mwy a mwy o bobl yn cael eu brechu bob dydd, a dyna pam y mae'n hanfodol fod Llywodraeth Cymru bellach yn cyhoeddi cynllun adfer penodol ar gyfer mynd i'r afael ag amseroedd aros GIG Cymru ac yn rhoi rhywfaint o obaith i bobl sy'n aros am driniaeth y bydd yr ôl-groniad yn cael sylw ac y byddant o'r diwedd yn cael y driniaeth y maent ei hangen. Yn sicr, nid fi yw'r unig un sy'n cael gohebiaeth gan bobl sy'n daer eisiau clywed pryd y maent yn debygol o gael y driniaeth sydd ei hangen arnynt, ac mae'r diffyg gwybodaeth a gawsant wrth aros am driniaeth wedi gadael pobl yn rhwystredig ac yn bryderus. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y Gweinidog yn ystyried hynny ac o leiaf yn dweud wrth y byrddau iechyd lleol fod angen iddynt gyfathrebu'n well â phobl sy'n aros am driniaeth i egluro eu sefyllfa a'r amgylchiadau lleol. Mae pryderon difrifol iawn hefyd gan elusennau a sefydliadau megis Rhwydwaith Canser Cymru ynghylch gallu'r GIG i ymdrin ag ôl-groniadau. Er enghraifft, mae'r Athro Tom Crosby o Rwydwaith Canser Cymru wedi rhybuddio bod tswnami digynsail o alw am wasanaethau canser ar y ffordd. Yn wir, gwyddom fod mwy na thraean o gleifion lle ceir amheuaeth o ganser yn aros yn rhy hir i ddechrau eu triniaeth benodol gyntaf, yn ôl set gyntaf Llywodraeth Cymru o ffigurau llwybrau lle'r amheuir canser a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar. A'r achosion y gwyddom amdanynt yn unig yw'r rheini. Mae'r pandemig wedi golygu nad yw llawer o gleifion yr amheuir bod ganddynt ganser wedi cysylltu â'u meddygon teulu, ac felly gallai fod pwysau pellach ar wasanaethau wrth inni ddod allan o'r pandemig, wrth i fwy o bobl adrodd am symptomau posibl wrth eu meddygon teulu. Felly, er mwyn i wasanaethau gael eu datblygu ar gyfer y dyfodol i fynd i'r afael â'r ôl-groniad o driniaethau, rhaid inni hefyd ystyried yr heriau na ellir eu gweld fel y rhain, a fydd yn effeithio ar y galwadau ar ein gwasanaethau GIG yn y dyfodol. Wrth i Lywodraeth Cymru ddatblygu ei chynllun adfer ar gyfer y GIG, mae sawl mater y mae angen iddi eu hystyried wrth gynllunio'r gwaith o ddarparu gwasanaethau yn y dyfodol. Yn gyntaf, mae angen i Lywodraeth Cymru sicrhau bod seilwaith diagnostig y GIG yn ddigonol i ateb y galw yn y dyfodol yn ogystal â mynd i'r afael â rhestrau aros presennol y GIG, a rhaid i'r Gweinidog a'i swyddogion ystyried modelau darparu cyfredol, yn enwedig wrth i bethau fel ymarfer clinigol a thechnoleg barhau i newid. Ac yn ail, yng ngoleuni'r pandemig COVID-19, rwy'n gobeithio bod y Gweinidog a'i swyddogion yn archwilio ffyrdd y gallwn ddatblygu cydnerthedd o fewn y GIG yn well fel nad ydym ond yn syrthio'n ôl i'r hen ffyrdd o ddarparu gwasanaethau iechyd. Credaf y gall fod lle i edrych ar sut y gallwn ddefnyddio'r capasiti ychwanegol a ddatblygwyd yn ystod y pandemig, megis capasiti ysbytai maes, i helpu i ddarparu gwasanaethau, yn enwedig yn y tymor byr a'r tymor canolig. Ac felly, wrth ymateb i'r ddadl hon efallai y gall y Gweinidog ddweud ychydig mwy wrthym am y trafodaethau strategol y mae'n eu cael ynglŷn â sut y darparwn wasanaethau iechyd ar ôl pandemig. Felly, wrth gloi, Lywydd, mae'n hanfodol fod y materion hyn yn cael eu hystyried o ddifrif wrth ddatblygu cynllun adfer ar gyfer GIG Cymru, ac wrth ddatblygu strategaeth sy'n cydbwyso'r angen i fynd i'r afael â'r ôl-groniad a hefyd yn darparu digon o gydnerthedd yn y system i ateb heriau'r dyfodol. Ac o'r herwydd, hoffwn annog yr Aelodau i gefnogi'r cynnig hwn gan y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig. Diolch yn fawr.