English: As someone who worked on the front line of our NHS for over a decade, I can personally attest to the enormous strain our health and care systems have been under. And when a deadly virus has thrown into the mix, it's a sheer miracle that the system didn't break. But that's only thanks to the dedication of my former colleagues in the NHS, not because of any leadership from the top. The vast majority of the problems facing our NHS are down to an absence of leadership. The reason why my constituents and yours cannot see their GP, get an NHS dentist, or have had their surgery cancelled multiple times, is due to one simple fact: successive Governments have failed to do proper integrated workforce planning. The royal colleges and the professional bodies have been warning for at least the past decade that we are not training or recruiting enough front-line staff. And Welsh Government are very good at creating managers, bureaucrats and red tape, but are absolutely useless when it comes to creating doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals. Things have improved somewhat - I do give credit where it's due - and, with the creation of Health Education and Improvement Wales, we now at least have a workforce plan, but I fear its too little too late. Just last week the Royal College of Nursing released their report on nursing staff levels, and it was a sobering read, because the sheer numbers of nurses leaving the profession should worry us all. There are at least 1,719 nursing vacancies across Welsh health boards, and, over the past five years, we've spent around £0.75 billion on agency staff. The RCN report shows how we are losing almost as many staff as we are recruiting, and last year the workforce only grew by 0.1 per cent. We gained a handful of nurses last year when we need thousands. We lost 6 per cent of the district nursing workforce between June 2020 and June 2021 and, in a survey of its members, the RCN highlights that a third of nurses are strongly considering leaving the profession early, all due to chronic workforce pressures. We are in real danger of creating a negative feedback loop - people leaving healthcare because of the pressures of not having enough staff. And it's not just nurses feeling this pressure; it perpetuates across the health and social care system. General practitioners are also leaving the profession in their droves. GPs are retiring early and some are even surrendering their medical licence, meaning that they can't be called out of retirement in times of crisis. We were warned by the British Medical Association nearly 10 years ago that we needed to recruit around 200 GPs a year in Wales. For the majority of the intervening years we were lucky if we managed half of that. And because we failed to address the recruitment problems, we created a retention problem. In 2019, before the pandemic, nearly a quarter of practices surveyed were considering handing back their general medical services contracts. Since the pandemic, things have got much worse. GPs are warning that the strain could overwhelm the system, that pressures are putting people off the profession all together, and one in eight GP trainees say they do not intend to work in general practice after qualifying as doctors, according to a recent BMA poll. All this is having a devastating effect on patients, many of whom are becoming sicker because of a lack of early intervention. My constituents tell me that it can take them weeks to get an appointment with their GP and practices cannot cope with the numbers of people on their lists. And when patients do manage to navigate their way through primary care, they face the same challenges in secondary care. Referral-to-treatment times were already astronomical prior to COVID and have skyrocketed since. The latest figures show that one in five of us are on a list awaiting NHS treatment, two thirds of a million people are waiting years for treatment to end their pain and suffering, and 691,000 Welsh citizens are left in limbo not knowing when their treatment will begin. How many of those one in five will die because they didn't get a cancer treated soon enough? How many will be forced to give up work because their condition deteriorated to such an extreme that they are unable to function in the workplace? These are the real impacts treatment delays are having on people's lives. Patients are dying, going blind and losing mobility because they can't be treated soon enough. And they can't be treated early enough because we don't have the staff. There are currently over 3,000 vacancies in our NHS and many in my health board, in Betsi Cadwaladr, in north Wales. We have 10,000 fewer beds than we did at the beginning of the century, yet we have frequently breached safe staffing levels over recent months. In recent weeks we saw accident and emergency departments with fewer than a third of the required staff, and if we are to recover adequately from this pandemic and be prepared for the next one, if we're unfortunate to have another one come around, we have to get to grips with the training, recruitment and retention of staff. We need true integrated workforce planning that anticipates future service demands, and let's not forget that the parliamentary review of health and social care warned us of the challenges we face as our demographics change. We aren't planning to meet today's needs, let alone to respond to future challenges. We need root and branch reform of our recruitment and retention policies, and it would help if we actually had retention policies in the first place. We need to make working and staying in health and care a more attractive proposition. We need to encourage more young Welsh people to pursue careers in health and care. We need a workforce plan that looks at the whole picture, from science teaching to retirement planning and everything in between. It's time to join up the dots, and that requires leadership. It requires a Welsh Government that can plan for the future. I urge the Minister to grasp this nettle now and make workforce planning her No. 1 priority, otherwise my mailbag and yours will continue to overflow with complaints about not being able to get a face-to-face appointment with a GP, about not being able to see an NHS dentist, or about not being able to get a suitable care package for an elderly relative. We can't afford to lose any more NHS staff, and my constituents can't wait any longer for treatment. Diolch yn fawr.
Welsh: Fel rhywun a fu'n gweithio ar reng flaen ein GIG ers dros ddegawd, gallaf dystio'n bersonol i'r straen enfawr sydd wedi bod ar ein systemau iechyd a gofal. A phan gafodd feirws marwol ei daflu i mewn i'r pair, mae'n wyrth lwyr na wnaeth y system dorri. Ond i ymroddiad fy nghyn-gydweithwyr yn y GIG y mae'r diolch na ddigwyddodd hynny, nid oherwydd unrhyw arweiniad o'r brig. Mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r problemau sy'n wynebu ein GIG yn deillio o ddiffyg arweiniad. Y rheswm syml pam na all fy etholwyr a'ch etholwyr chi weld eu meddyg teulu, cael deintydd GIG, neu pam eu bod wedi cael eu llawdriniaeth wedi'i chanslo sawl gwaith, yw bod Llywodraethau olynol wedi methu cynllunio gweithlu integredig priodol. Mae'r colegau brenhinol a'r cyrff proffesiynol wedi bod yn rhybuddio ers o leiaf ddegawd nad ydym yn hyfforddi nac yn recriwtio digon o staff rheng flaen. Ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn dda iawn am greu rheolwyr, biwrocratiaid a biwrocratiaeth, ond maent yn gwbl ddiwerth pan ddaw'n fater o greu meddygon, nyrsys a gweithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol. Mae pethau wedi gwella rhywfaint - rwy'n rhoi clod lle mae'n ddyledus - a chyda chreu Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru, mae gennym gynllun gweithlu erbyn hyn o leiaf, ond mae arnaf ofn ei fod yn rhy ychydig yn rhy hwyr. Yr wythnos diwethaf, rhyddhaodd y Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol eu hadroddiad ar lefelau staff nyrsio, ac roedd ei gynnwys yn sobreiddiol, oherwydd dylai'r nifer fawr o nyrsys sy'n gadael y proffesiwn fod yn destun pryder i bawb ohonom. Ceir o leiaf 1,719 o swyddi nyrsio gwag ar draws byrddau iechyd Cymru, a, thros y pum mlynedd diwethaf, rydym wedi gwario tua £0.75 biliwn ar staff asiantaeth. Mae adroddiad y Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol yn dangos sut rydym yn colli bron cymaint o staff ag yr ydym yn eu recriwtio, a'r llynedd 0.1 y cant yn unig o gynnydd a welwyd yn y gweithlu. Cawsom lond llaw o nyrsys y llynedd pan fo angen miloedd. Collwyd 6 y cant o'r gweithlu nyrsys ardal rhwng mis Mehefin 2020 a mis Mehefin 2021 ac mewn arolwg o'i aelodau, mae'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol yn tynnu sylw at y ffaith bod traean o nyrsys yn ystyried gadael y proffesiwn yn gynnar, a'r cyfan oherwydd pwysau cronig ar y gweithlu. Rydym mewn perygl gwirioneddol o greu dolen adborth negyddol - pobl yn gadael gofal iechyd oherwydd y pwysau yn sgil prinder staff. Ac nid nyrsys yn unig sy'n teimlo'r pwysau, mae'n ymestyn diddiwedd ar draws y system iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol. Mae meddygon teulu hefyd yn gadael y proffesiwn wrth y dwsin. Mae meddygon teulu'n ymddeol yn gynnar ac mae rhai hyd yn oed yn ildio eu trwydded feddygol, sy'n golygu na ellir eu galw o'u hymddeoliad ar adegau o argyfwng. Fe'n rhybuddiwyd gan Gymdeithas Feddygol Prydain bron 10 mlynedd yn ôl fod angen inni recriwtio tua 200 o feddygon teulu y flwyddyn yng Nghymru. Am y rhan fwyaf o'r blynyddoedd yn y cyfamser, roeddem yn lwcus pe baem yn llwyddo i recriwtio hanner hynny. Ac oherwydd na lwyddwyd i fynd i'r afael â'r problemau recriwtio, crëwyd problem cadw staff. Yn 2019, cyn y pandemig, roedd bron chwarter y practisau a arolygwyd yn ystyried dychwelyd eu contractau gwasanaethau meddygol cyffredinol. Ers y pandemig, mae pethau wedi gwaethygu'n fawr. Mae meddygon teulu'n rhybuddio y gallai'r straen fod yn drech na'r system, fod y pwysau'n anghymell pobl yn llwyr rhag ymuno â'r proffesiwn, ac mae un o bob wyth o'r rhai sy'n hyfforddi i fod yn feddygon teulu yn dweud nad ydynt yn bwriadu gweithio mewn practis cyffredinol ar ôl cymhwyso fel meddygon, yn ôl arolwg barn diweddar gan Gymdeithas Feddygol Prydain. Mae hyn i gyd yn cael effaith ddinistriol ar gleifion, gyda llawer ohonynt yn mynd yn salach oherwydd diffyg ymyrraeth gynnar. Dywed fy etholwyr wrthyf y gall gymryd wythnosau iddynt gael apwyntiad gyda'u meddyg teulu ac ni all practisau ymdopi â nifer y bobl sydd ar eu rhestrau. A phan fydd cleifion yn llwyddo i lywio eu ffordd drwy ofal sylfaenol, maent yn wynebu'r un heriau mewn gofal eilaidd. Roedd amseroedd rhwng atgyfeirio a thriniaeth eisoes yn eithriadol cyn COVID ac maent wedi cynyddu'n aruthrol ers hynny. Mae'r ffigurau diweddaraf yn dangos bod un o bob pump ohonom ar restr aros am driniaeth GIG, mae dwy ran o dair o filiwn o bobl yn aros blynyddoedd am driniaeth i roi diwedd ar eu poen a'u dioddefaint, ac mae 691,000 o ddinasyddion Cymru'n cael eu gadael mewn limbo heb wybod pryd y bydd eu triniaeth yn dechrau. Faint o'r un o bob pump fydd yn marw oherwydd na chawsant driniaeth canser yn ddigon buan? Faint fydd yn cael eu gorfodi i roi'r gorau i weithio oherwydd bod eu cyflwr wedi dirywio i'r fath raddau fel na allant weithredu yn y gweithle? Dyma'r effeithiau gwirioneddol y mae oedi cyn cael triniaeth yn eu cael ar fywydau pobl. Mae cleifion yn marw, yn mynd yn ddall ac yn colli symudedd oherwydd na ellir eu trin yn ddigon buan. Ac ni ellir eu trin yn ddigon cynnar am nad oes gennym staff. Ar hyn o bryd mae dros 3,000 o swyddi gwag yn ein GIG a llawer yn fy mwrdd iechyd, Bwrdd Iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr, yng ngogledd Cymru. Mae gennym 10,000 yn llai o welyau nag a oedd gennym ar ddechrau'r ganrif, ac eto rydym yn aml wedi torri lefelau staffio diogel dros y misoedd diwethaf. Yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf gwelsom adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys gyda llai na thraean o'r staff gofynnol, ac os ydym am adfer yn ddigonol o'r pandemig a bod yn barod ar gyfer y nesaf, os byddwn yn ddigon anffodus i gael un arall, mae'n rhaid inni fynd i'r afael â hyfforddi, recriwtio a chadw staff. Mae arnom angen cynlluniau gwirioneddol integredig ar gyfer y gweithlu sy'n rhagweld y galw ar y gwasanaeth yn y dyfodol, a gadewch inni beidio ag anghofio bod yr adolygiad seneddol o iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol wedi ein rhybuddio am yr heriau sy'n ein hwynebu wrth i'n demograffeg newid. Nid ydym yn cynllunio ar gyfer diwallu anghenion heddiw, heb sôn am ymateb i heriau'r dyfodol. Mae arnom angen diwygio ein polisïau recriwtio a chadw staff o'r bôn i'r brig, a byddai o gymorth pe bai gennym bolisïau cadw staff yn y lle cyntaf. Mae angen inni wneud gweithio ac aros ym maes iechyd a gofal yn gynnig mwy deniadol. Mae angen inni annog mwy o Gymry ifanc i ddilyn gyrfaoedd ym maes iechyd a gofal. Mae arnom angen cynllun gweithlu sy'n edrych ar y darlun cyfan, o addysgu gwyddoniaeth i gynllunio ar gyfer ymddeol a phopeth rhyngddynt. Mae'n bryd cydgysylltu'r cyfan, ac mae hynny'n galw am arweiniad. Mae'n galw am Lywodraeth Cymru a all gynllunio ar gyfer y dyfodol. Rwy'n annog y Gweinidog i fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn yn awr a gwneud cynllunio'r gweithlu yn brif flaenoriaeth, neu fel arall bydd fy mag post a'ch un chithau'n parhau i orlifo â chwynion ynghylch methu cael apwyntiad wyneb yn wyneb â meddyg teulu, am fethu gweld deintydd GIG, neu am fethu cael pecyn gofal addas ar gyfer perthynas oedrannus. Ni allwn fforddio colli rhagor o staff y GIG, ac ni all fy etholwyr aros yn hwy am driniaeth. Diolch yn fawr.