English: Llywydd, of course I agree with what the Member said about the importance of audiology and the impact that it has on people's lives. It's a sad fact that during the pandemic, many elderly people, particularly - and audiology services are heavily used by older Welsh citizens - many of those people, because they were shielding during the pandemic, were unable to come forward for their appointments and we are now seeing them coming forward, and that inevitably does mean pressure on the system. The pressure is very unevenly distributed across boards in Wales. The Member is right to point to the growth in numbers in Cardiff and the Vale, but in Swansea bay, for example, the number of people waiting for an audiology appointment in February of this year was only nine people, and that was down from 225 people a year before. So, there are parts of Wales where real progress is being made and there are other parts of Wales where there is genuine pressure on the system. The way in which this is best resolved, Llywydd, is by the building up of primary care capacity, so that people don't have to go to a hospital for the service that they need, because first-contact practitioner audiologists are able to provide that expert assessment closer to home and make sure that people get the treatment that they need. That service is already in place in some parts of Wales, for example, in Betsi Cadwaladr, and other health boards are undertaking pilots to build up a service of the same sort. It does mean recruiting people directly into the service, but having an audiologist as part of the primary care team, dedicated to that, able to carry out those appointments on a five-day-a-week basis, that is the way in which we think that the future of the service can best be secured.
Welsh: Llywydd, wrth gwrs, rwy'n cytuno â'r hyn a ddywedodd yr Aelod am bwysigrwydd awdioleg a'r effaith y mae'n ei chael ar fywydau pobl. Mae'n ffaith drist, yn ystod y pandemig, fod llawer o bobl oedrannus, yn arbennig - ac mae gwasanaethau awdioleg yn cael eu defnyddio'n helaeth gan ddinasyddion hŷn Cymru - mae llawer o'r bobl hynny, oherwydd eu bod yn gwarchod eu hunain yn ystod y pandemig, wedi methu â chadw eu hapwyntiadau ac rydym yn awr yn eu gweld yn dod ymlaen, ac mae hynny'n anochel yn golygu pwysau ar y system. Mae'r pwysau wedi ei ddosbarthu'n anghyfartal iawn ar draws byrddau yng Nghymru. Mae'r Aelod yn iawn i dynnu sylw at y twf yn y niferoedd yng Nghaerdydd a'r Fro, ond ym mae Abertawe, er enghraifft, dim ond naw o bobl oedd yn aros am apwyntiad awdioleg ym mis Chwefror eleni, ac roedd hynny i lawr o 225 o bobl, flwyddyn ynghynt. Felly, mae rhannau o Gymru lle mae cynnydd gwirioneddol yn cael ei wneud ac mae rhannau eraill o Gymru lle mae pwysau gwirioneddol ar y system. Y ffordd orau o ddatrys hyn, Llywydd, yw drwy feithrin capasiti gofal sylfaenol, fel nad oes rhaid i bobl fynd i ysbyty i gael y gwasanaeth y mae arnyn nhw ei angen, oherwydd gall ymarferwyr cyswllt cyntaf awdioleg ddarparu'r asesiad arbenigol hwnnw yn nes at adref a sicrhau bod pobl yn cael y driniaeth y mae arnyn nhw ei hangen. Mae'r gwasanaeth hwnnw eisoes ar waith mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru, er enghraifft, ym Mwrdd Iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr, ac mae byrddau iechyd eraill yn cynnal cynlluniau treialu i ddatblygu gwasanaeth o'r un math. Mae'n golygu recriwtio pobl yn uniongyrchol i'r gwasanaeth, ond cael awdiolegydd fel rhan o'r tîm gofal sylfaenol, sy'n ymroddedig i hynny, sy'n gallu cyflawni'r apwyntiadau hynny bum niwrnod yr wythnos, dyna'r ffordd orau o sicrhau dyfodol y gwasanaeth.