English: Thank you very much, acting Deputy Llywydd. I'm very pleased to open this debate on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee's report on the COVID-19 outbreak. Before I turn to our findings, I'd like to pay tribute to the commitment and dedication of everyone who has contributed to the work of keeping our front-line services operating in the most difficult of circumstances. Whilst our thoughts turn automatically to the health and social care sector, we must also recognise the tireless efforts of so many other sectors and professions, often behind the scenes. The public has also made huge sacrifices, and we need to recognise that. Families and friends were separated, and the most vulnerable were isolated from their wider support networks. Their collective efforts in adhering to the lockdown rules significantly suppressed the spread of the virus. Sadly, we now face similar challenges, and we are asking the Welsh public to show the same collective spirit to help curb this insidious virus once again. When the first case of coronavirus in Wales was confirmed in March 2020, very few of us, I imagine, realised that the virus would have such a devastating and long-lasting impact on us all. It's been cruel and ruthless and it's stolen the lives of friends and loved ones. As a committee, we felt that it was important to consider the impact of coronavirus, and its management, on health and social care services in Wales. We have considered the response of the Welsh Government and relevant public bodies, as well as the impact on staff, patients and others receiving care or treatment in clinical settings or in the community. Our purpose in undertaking this work was to seek to identify what worked well and what didn't work so well, in order to learn lessons and to apply them quickly to any rise in infection rates. We've taken evidence from a wide range of professionals in health and social care, public bodies and stakeholders, and we continue to do so. We carried out a survey of front-line staff, patients, carers, and those receiving care or treatment, to understand the impact of the pandemic on them. We also issued an open invitation to anyone who wished to share their experiences with us. I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to contribute to our work. Our recommendations include 28 recommendations, and 21 have been accepted in full, and I'd like to thank the Minister for his detailed response. I won't have time to address every recommendation, but I will try to cover some of the key messages, turning first to personal protective equipment. Now, in the early days of the pandemic, a great deal of coverage focused on concerns regarding the adequate and continuous supply of PPE. Much of the early evidence we received reflected the fears and concerns of front-line staff about the availability of appropriate PPE. According to a survey carried out by the British Medical Association, 67 per cent of doctors in Wales did not feel fully protected from COVID-19 at work, and 60 per cent had had to purchase items of PPE directly, or had received supplies as a donation, because the NHS had not been able to procure adequate supplies. The Royal College of Nursing also reported that many of their members, particularly community nursing teams, had called because they were distressed at being unable to access PPE. It said that 74 per cent of nursing staff had raised concerns about shortages of PPE, with over half having felt pressurised to care for a patient without adequate protection. Indeed, the Minister for health told us that the situation was a very real concern for Government at the time. This position has improved, and we welcome this, but we cannot afford to be complacent. We need assurance on the continuity of PPE supplies, particularly in light of the recent rise in infection rates. We therefore made the following recommendations: the Welsh Government must, as a matter of urgency, publish a strategy for securing a resilient supply of PPE; stockpile sufficient quantities of appropriate PPE for any future outbreak; keep under review the PPE that it has stockpiled to ensure that it remains of adequate quality and is fit for purpose; publish a strategy for ensuring the resilience of distribution arrangements; work with partners to ensure that guidance on PPE is kept up to date in light of the most recent scientific advice, and communicate this advice clearly to staff. That's recommendation 1. I am very pleased to say that this recommendation was accepted and that a strategic plan for the procurement of PPE for health and social care is being developed.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Dwi'n falch iawn o gael agor y ddadl yma heddiw ar adroddiad y Pwyllgor Iechyd, Gofal Cymdeithasol a Chwaraeon ar COVID-19. Cyn imi siarad am ein canfyddiadau, hoffwn dalu teyrnged i ymrwymiad ac ymroddiad pawb sydd wedi cyfrannu at y gwaith o sicrhau bod ein gwasanaethau rheng flaen yn parhau i weithredu o dan amgylchiadau anodd dros ben. Er y byddwn yn meddwl yn awtomatig am y sector iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, rhaid cydnabod hefyd ymdrechion diflino cynifer o sectorau a phroffesiynau eraill, a hynny'n aml y tu ôl i'r llenni. Mae'r cyhoedd hefyd wedi aberthu llawer, ac mae angen cydnabod hynny. Cafodd teuluoedd a chyfeillion eu gwahanu, a chafodd y rhai mwyaf agored i niwed eu hynysu oddi wrth eu rhwydweithiau cymorth ehangach. Mae eu hymdrechion i gadw at y cyfyngiadau symud wedi atal y feirws rhag lledaenu'n sylweddol. Yn anffodus, rydyn ni'nawr yn wynebu heriau tebyg eto, ac rydyn ni'n gofyn i bobl Cymru ddangos yr un ysbryd eto i gyd-ymdrechu i helpu i ffrwyno'r feirws llechwraidd yma unwaith eto. Pan gadarnhawyd yr achos cyntaf o'r coronafeirws yng Nghymru ym mis Mawrth eleni, ychydig iawn ohonom, gredwn i, oedd yn sylweddoli y byddai'r feirws yn cael effaith mor ddinistriol a hirhoedlog arnom ni i gyd. Mae wedi bod yn greulon ac yn ddidostur ac mae wedi cipio cyfeillion ac anwyliaid oddi arnom. Fel pwyllgor, roeddem yn teimlo ei bod yn bwysig ystyried effaith y coronafeirws, a'r modd y cafodd ei reoli, ar y gwasanaeth iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yng Nghymru. Rydyn ni wedi ystyried ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru a chyrff cyhoeddus perthnasol, yn ogystal â'r effaith ar staff, cleifion ac eraill sy'n cael gofal neu driniaeth yn y gymuned neu mewn lleoliadau clinigol. Ein diben wrth ymgymryd â'r gwaith hwn oedd ceisio helpu i ddangos beth weithiodd yn dda a beth na weithiodd cystal, a hynny er mwyn dysgu gwersi a'u cymhwyso'n gyflym, efo'r cynnydd yn y gyfradd heintio sy'n digwydd nawr. Rydyn ni wedi cael tystiolaeth gan amrywiaeth eang o weithwyr proffesiynol ym maes iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, cyrff cyhoeddus a rhanddeiliaid, ac rydyn ni'n parhau i wneud hynny. Cynhaliwyd arolwg o staff rheng flaen, cleifion, gofalwyr, a'r rhai sy'n derbyn gofal neu driniaeth, i ddeall yr effaith y mae'r pandemig wedi ei gael arnynt. Hefyd, roedd gwahoddiad agored i unrhyw rai a oedd yn dymuno rhannu eu profiadau efo ni. Hoffem ddiolch i bawb a roddodd o'u hamser i gyfrannu at ein gwaith. Mae ein hadroddiad yn cynnwys 28 o argymhellion, ac mae 21 ohonynt wedi'u derbyn yn llawn, a hoffwn ddiolch i'r Gweinidog yn fawr am ei ymateb manwl. Ni fydd gennyf amser i ymdrin â phob argymhelliad, ond byddaf yn ceisio ymdrin â rhai o'r negeseuon allweddol, gan droi yn gyntaf at gyfarpar diogelu personol, PPE. Nawr, yn ystod dyddiau cynnar y pandemig, rhoddwyd cryn dipyn o sylw i'r pryder ynglŷn â sicrhau cyflenwad digonol a pharhaus o gyfarpar diogelu personol. Roedd llawer o'r dystiolaeth gynnar a gawsom yn tanlinellu ofnau a phryderon staff rheng flaen ynghylch cyfarpar diogelu personol priodol. Yn ôl arolwg a gynhaliodd Cymdeithas Feddygol Prydain, nid oedd 67 y cant o feddygon yng Nghymru yn teimlo eu bod wedi'u diogelu'n llawn rhag COVID-19 yn y gwaith, ac roedd 60 y cant ohonyn nhw wedi gorfod prynu eitemau o gyfarpar diogelu personol yn uniongyrchol, neu wedi derbyn cyflenwadau fel rhodd allanol, oherwydd nad oedd y gwasanaeth iechyd yn gallu caffael cyflenwadau digonol. Dywedodd y Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol hefyd fod nifer fawr o'u haelodau, yn enwedig timau nyrsio cymunedol, wedi ffonio am eu bod yn poeni nad oeddent yn gallu cael gafael ar gyfarpar diogelu personol. Dywedodd fod 74 y cant o staff nyrsio wedi dweud eu bod yn poeni am brinder cyfarpar diogelu personol, a bod dros hanner wedi teimlo dan bwysau i ofalu am glaf heb amddiffyniad digonol. Yn wir, dywedodd y Gweinidog iechyd wrthym fod y sefyllfa yn peri pryder gwirioneddol i'r Llywodraeth hefyd ar y pryd. Mae'r sefyllfa hon wedi gwella, ac rydyn ni'n falch iawn o hynny, ond ni allwn orffwys ar ein rhwyfau. Mae angen sicrwydd arnom y bydd cyflenwadau PPE yn parhau, yn enwedig o gofio'r cynnydd yn y gyfradd heintio'n ddiweddar. Gwnaethom, felly, argymell y canlynol: rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru fynd ati ar fyrder i gyhoeddi strategaeth i sicrhau cyflenwad gwydn o gyfarpar diogelu personol; i gasglu ynghyd lefelau digonol o gyfarpar diogelu personol priodol ar gyfer unrhyw achos yn y dyfodol; i adolygu'r cyfarpar diogelu personol y mae wedi'i gasglu ynghyd i sicrhau ei fod yn parhau i fod o ansawdd digonol a'i fod yn addas at y diben; i gyhoeddi strategaeth ar gyfer sicrhau gwydnwch y trefniadau dosbarthu; i weithio gyda phartneriaid i sicrhau bod canllawiau ar gyfarpar diogelu personol yn cael eu diweddaru yng ngoleuni'r cyngor gwyddonol diweddaraf, a chyfathrebu'r cyngor hwn yn glir i'r staff. Dyna argymhelliad 1. Dwi'n falch iawn o ddweud bod yr argymhelliad hwn wedi'i dderbyn a bod cynllun strategol ar gyfer caffael cyfarpar diogelu personol ar gyfer iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn cael ei ddatblygu.