English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I attach myself to the Minister's comments in regard to the NHS workforce and what tremendous work they've done? We can't reiterate that enough, can we, our thanks for all their work over the past two years. Can I thank the Minister for her statement today, alongside publishing the plan to reduce waiting times, and also thank the Minister, of course, for the technical briefings that she's provided as well? That's very much appreciated. I'll start by very much welcoming this plan. I do really welcome the fact that this plan has got targets. That's absolutely crucial, and that's a positive element to what I've read through today. I am deeply concerned about setting a target that no-one waits more than a year as far away as 2025. That is, of course, going to be of little comfort to those who are waiting, often in pain and discomfort. We're in 2022 now, and they look and see the year 2025 - that's going to be difficult for them to accept. I'm also concerned that the target of 80 per cent for cancer diagnosis and treatment within 62 days by 2026 is just not ambitious enough. There are already people, of course, as it stands now, that are turning to private care. How and when, Minister, will you ensure that Wales's health boards are effectively communicating with the hundreds and thousands of those waiting for support on waiting lists - those whose, perhaps, physical and mental health is deteriorating in that time as well? How are you going to ensure that health boards are communicating effectively with these people who are waiting for information? Because they're being told they have to wait several years before they are treated. How will these targets be monitored? Will there be an annual report? I know, Minister, that you are going to be holding your officials to account on many of these targets that you've brought forward; how are we in this Senedd going to hold you to account? How can we do that? Are you going to have an annual report? Tell us a little bit more about how we can monitor progress. I do welcome the use of technology to address some of the pressures on the NHS workforce, but it's been four years since the former health Minister proposed similar plans, and since then we've only just seen the outline plans for e-prescriptions, which could really have lifted much of the bureaucratic burden from doctors and pharmacists. Technology is useful, of course it is, but it's not going to address how an already stretched and strained NHS workforce will be coping, nor will it provide a complete vision for a more flexible and engaged NHS. How will your plan be focusing on retention? What targets are you putting in place for recruitment? How do you think virtual appointments will help someone who needs a hip operation who has been waiting for several years in pain, or somebody who has been losing their sight? How will your online services help those who are unable to access the internet? How will you ensure that face-to-face appointments with doctors are an option? Being fair, Minister, there are some very positive, high ambitions within your plan. I don't doubt that for a moment. There are some challenging targets that you have put in your plan, in some aspects. But, on first reading, for me, I would like some reassurance that this plan is more than just a sticking plaster. It doesn't address some of the long-term outstanding problems that we've faced within the Welsh NHS. I'm sure you would agree that we want to build back better, don't we, in Wales, after the pandemic. We don't want to just get back to where we were before the pandemic started, we want to be in a better position. So, how is your plan going to do that? Just give us some reassurance that it's not just a sticking plaster on current problems. Yes, COVID, of course, has impacted on our services. I know you started your statement today, Minister, by saying that you've published your plan to help reduce the long waiting times that have unfortunately built up during the pandemic. That is factually correct. But, what it is also important to say is that we were in a very difficult position before the pandemic started. The number of people on the waiting lists had doubled even before the pandemic hit Wales. We had double the number of people waiting for over a year than in the whole of England in March 2020. That's a pretty staggering statistic considering the size of Wales compared to England's population.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. A gaf i ategu sylwadau'r Gweinidog ynglŷn â gweithlu'r GIG a'r gwaith aruthrol y maen nhw wedi'i wneud? Ni allwn ailadrodd hynny ddigon, sef ein diolch am eu holl waith dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf. A gaf i ddiolch i'r Gweinidog am ei datganiad heddiw, ochr yn ochr â chyhoeddi'r cynllun i leihau amseroedd aros, a diolch hefyd i'r Gweinidog, wrth gwrs, am y sesiynau briffio technegol y mae wedi'u darparu hefyd? Mae hynny'n cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr. Byddaf yn dechrau drwy groesawu'r cynllun hwn yn fawr. Rwyf i yn croesawu'n fawr y ffaith bod gan y cynllun hwn dargedau. Mae hynny'n gwbl hanfodol, ac mae hynny'n elfen gadarnhaol o'r hyn yr wyf wedi'i ddarllen heddiw. Rwy'n bryderus iawn ynghylch gosod targed nad oes neb yn aros mwy na blwyddyn, mor bell i ffwrdd â 2025. Ychydig iawn o gysur y bydd hynny'n ei roi, wrth gwrs i'r rhai sy'n aros, yn aml mewn poen ac anesmwythder. Rydym yn 2022 yn awr, ac maen nhw'n edrych ac yn gweld y flwyddyn 2025 - mae hynny'n mynd i fod yn anodd iddyn nhw ei dderbyn. Rwyf hefyd yn pryderu nad yw'r targed o 80 y cant ar gyfer diagnosis a thriniaeth canser o fewn 62 diwrnod erbyn 2026 yn ddigon uchelgeisiol. Mae pobl eisoes, wrth gwrs, fel y mae hi ar hyn o bryd, yn troi at ofal preifat. Sut a phryd, Gweinidog, y byddwch yn sicrhau bod byrddau iechyd Cymru'n cyfathrebu'n effeithiol â'r cannoedd ar filoedd o'r rhai hynny sy'n aros am gymorth ar restrau aros - y rhai hynny y mae eu hiechyd corfforol a meddyliol, efallai, yn dirywio yn y cyfnod hwnnw hefyd? Sut ydych chi'n mynd i sicrhau bod byrddau iechyd yn cyfathrebu'n effeithiol â'r bobl hyn sy'n aros am wybodaeth? Oherwydd eu bod yn cael gwybod bod yn rhaid iddyn nhw aros sawl blwyddyn cyn cael triniaeth. Sut caiff y targedau hyn eu monitro? A fydd adroddiad blynyddol? Rwy'n gwybod, Gweinidog, y byddwch yn dwyn eich swyddogion i gyfrif am lawer o'r targedau hyn yr ydych wedi'u cyflwyno; sut ydym ni yn y Senedd hon yn mynd i'ch dwyn chi i gyfrif? Sut y gallwn ni wneud hynny? A fyddwch yn cael adroddiad blynyddol? Dywedwch ychydig mwy wrthym am sut y gallwn fonitro cynnydd. Rwyf i yn croesawu'r defnydd o dechnoleg i fynd i'r afael â rhai o'r pwysau ar weithlu'r GIG, ond mae wedi bod yn bedair blynedd ers i'r cyn Weinidog iechyd gynnig cynlluniau tebyg, ac ers hynny dim ond newydd weld y cynlluniau amlinellol ar gyfer e-bresgripsiynau ydym ni, a allai fod wedi codi llawer o'r baich biwrocrataidd oddi ar feddygon a fferyllwyr. Mae technoleg yn ddefnyddiol, wrth gwrs ei bod, ond nid yw'n mynd i fynd i'r afael â sut y bydd gweithlu'r GIG sydd eisoes dan bwysau a dan straen, yn ymdopi, ac ni fydd ychwaith yn darparu gweledigaeth gyflawn ar gyfer GIG mwy hyblyg ac ymgysylltiol. Sut bydd eich cynllun yn canolbwyntio ar gadw? Pa dargedau ydych chi'n eu rhoi ar waith ar gyfer recriwtio? Sut ydych chi'n meddwl y bydd apwyntiadau rhithwir yn helpu rhywun sydd angen llawdriniaeth ar glun sydd wedi bod yn aros am sawl blwyddyn mewn poen, neu rywun sydd wedi bod yn colli ei olwg? Sut bydd eich gwasanaethau ar-lein yn helpu'r rhai nad ydyn nhw'n gallu defnyddio'r rhyngrwyd? Sut byddwch chi'n sicrhau bod apwyntiadau wyneb yn wyneb gyda meddygon yn ddewis? A bod yn deg, Gweinidog, mae rhai uchelgeisiau cadarnhaol, uchel iawn yn eich cynllun. Nid wyf yn amau hynny am eiliad. Mae rhai targedau heriol wedi'u gosod yn eich cynllun, mewn rhai agweddau. Ond, ar y darlleniad cyntaf, i mi, hoffwn gael rhywfaint o sicrwydd bod y cynllun hwn yn fwy nag ateb dros dro yn unig. Nid yw'n mynd i'r afael â rhai o'r problemau hirdymor yr ydym wedi eu hwynebu o fewn GIG Cymru. Rwy'n siŵr y byddech yn cytuno bod eisiau i ni ailgodi'n gryfach, onid ydym, yng Nghymru, ar ôl y pandemig. Nid ydym yn dymuno dychwelyd i'r man lle'r oeddem ni cyn i'r pandemig ddechrau, rydym eisiau bod mewn gwell sefyllfa. Felly, sut bydd eich cynllun yn gwneud hynny? Rhowch rywfaint o sicrwydd i ni nad ateb dros dro i broblemau cyfredol yn unig ydyw. Ydy, mae COVID, wrth gwrs, wedi effeithio ar ein gwasanaethau. Rwy'n gwybod eich bod wedi dechrau eich datganiad heddiw, Gweinidog, drwy ddweud eich bod wedi cyhoeddi eich cynllun i helpu i leihau'r amseroedd aros hir sydd, yn anffodus, wedi cronni yn ystod y pandemig. Mae hynny'n ffeithiol gywir. Ond, yr hyn sy'n bwysig ei ddweud hefyd yw yr oeddem ni mewn sefyllfa anodd iawn cyn i'r pandemig ddechrau. Roedd nifer y bobl ar y rhestrau aros wedi dyblu hyd yn oed cyn i'r pandemig daro Cymru. Roedd gennym ni ddwywaith yn fwy o bobl yn aros am fwy na blwyddyn o'i gymharu â Lloegr gyfan ym mis Mawrth 2020. Mae hynny'n ystadegyn eithaf syfrdanol o ystyried maint Cymru o'i chymharu â phoblogaeth Lloegr.