English: I'm pleased to take part in this debate today. With the number of people aged 65 and over set to increase by about a third over the next 15 to 20 years, and a third of the adult population of Wales having at least one chronic illness, we are becoming more and more dependent on our social care sector.Unfortunately, cuts to local authority budgets have placed additional strain on social care, and have had a knock-on effect on our NHS. Delayed transfers of care remain unacceptably high. For the latest quarter for which figures are available, we saw a 2 per cent increase in delayed transfers and there are now over 500 patients spending longer in hospital than is necessary. In fact, around 30 patients faced a delay of more than 26 weeks, and that's half a year spent in hospital unnecessarily. These unnecessary delays cost our NHS millions of pounds a year, but the cost to the individual is immeasurable. According to Age Cymru, the main factors responsible for delayed transfers of care include a lack of appropriate facilities for reablement and recuperation, long delays in arranging services to support people in their own homes, and the barriers that exist between health and social services. A recent survey of NHS managers by the NHS Confederation found that many felt that shortfalls in local authority spending had impacted upon their services. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that we have effective and well-funded social care services that will keep the NHS sustainable. UKIP's policy and, indeed, one of our earlier debates was the reintroduction of community cottage hospitals, albeit a reformed version of them. Community hospitals, or cottage hospitals, have a vital role in providing respite care and in easing the transition back to community health settings for those who have required hospital settings. Some people aren't required to stay in hospital, but they can't go home to be on their own, or for other reasons that they're maybe not well enough, so cottage hospitals are vital. We now have just under 11,000 hospital beds and occupancy rates of nearly 87 per cent. When the Labour Government took over the running of the health service in Wales, we had nearly 15,000 hospital beds and occupancy rates of 79 per cent. I do realise that things have changed and that there are more services available, but if people are released too early - and we must bear this in mind - from hospital because of these shortages of beds, there is a high chance of a relapse, which will, again, impact on the financial services of the NHS. Where there are shortages of beds, the result is longer waiting lists, winter pressures lasting most of the year and our NHS stretched to breaking point. We recognise wholeheartedly the debt owed to unpaid carers and volunteers, which we can never really repay. So, whilst being mindful of the available moneys, and a pot that can only stretch so far, I would like to see the closure of community cottage hospitals reversed and funding for the social care sector to be increased. Diolch yn fawr.
Welsh: Rwy'n falch o gymryd rhan yn y ddadl heddiw. Gyda'r rhagolwg y bydd nifer y bobl 65 oed a throsodd yn cynyddu oddeutu un rhan o dair yn ystod y 15 i 20 mlynedd nesaf, a thraean o'r boblogaeth oedolion yng Nghymru ag o leiaf un salwch cronig, rydym yn dod yn fwyfwy dibynnol ar ein sector gofal cymdeithasol. Yn anffodus, mae toriadau i gyllidebau awdurdodau lleol wedi rhoi straen ychwanegol ar ofal cymdeithasol, ac wedi cael effaith ganlyniadol ar ein GIG. Mae lefelau oedi wrth drosglwyddo gofal yn parhau i fod yn annerbyniol o uchel. Am y chwarter diwethaf y ceir ffigurau ar ei gyfer, gwelsom gynnydd o 2 y cant mewn achosion o oedi wrth drosglwyddo ac erbyn hyn mae dros 500 o gleifion yn treulio mwy o amser yn yr ysbyty nag sydd ei angen. Yn wir, wynebodd oddeutu 30 o gleifion oedi o fwy na 26 wythnos, a dyna hanner blwyddyn wedi'i threulio yn yr ysbyty heb fod angen. Mae'r achosion hyn o oedi diangen yn costio miliynau o bunnoedd i'r GIG bob blwyddyn, ond mae'r gost i'r unigolyn yn anfesuradwy. Yn ôl Age Cymru, ymhlith y prif ffactorau sy'n gyfrifol am oedi wrth drosglwyddo gofal mae diffyg cyfleusterau priodol ar gyfer ailalluogi ac ymadfer, oedi hir wrth drefnu gwasanaethau i gynorthwyo pobl yn eu cartrefi eu hunain, a'r rhwystrau sy'n bodoli rhwng iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol. Canfu arolwg diweddar o reolwyr y GIG gan Gydffederasiwn y GIG fod llawer yn teimlo bod diffyg gwariant awdurdodau lleol wedi effeithio ar eu gwasanaethau. Felly, mae'n hollbwysig fod gennym wasanaethau gofal cymdeithasol sy'n effeithiol ac wedi'u hariannu'n dda a fydd yn cadw'r GIG yn gynaliadwy. Polisi UKIP ac yn wir, un o'n dadleuon cynharach oedd ailgyflwyno ysbytai bwthyn cymunedol, neu fersiwn ddiwygiedig ohonynt. Mae gan ysbytai cymuned, neu ysbytai bwthyn, rôl hanfodol i'w chwarae yn darparu gofal seibiant a lleddfu'r broses o drosglwyddo'n ôl i leoliadau iechyd cymunedol i rai sydd wedi bod angen gofal mewn ysbyty. Nid oes angen i rai pobl aros yn yr ysbyty, ond ni allant fynd adref i fod ar eu pen eu hunain, neu am nad ydynt yn ddigon da am resymau eraill efallai, felly mae ysbytai bwthyn yn hanfodol. Erbyn hyn mae gennym ychydig o dan 11,000 o welyau ysbyty a chyfraddau defnydd o bron 87 y cant. Pan drosglwyddwyd y gwaith o redeg y gwasanaeth iechyd yng Nghymru i'r Llywodraeth Lafur, roedd gennym bron i 15,000 o welyau ysbyty a chyfraddau defnydd o 79 y cant. Rwy'n sylweddoli bod pethau wedi newid a bod mwy o wasanaethau ar gael, ond os yw pobl yn cael eu rhyddhau'n rhy gynnar o'r ysbyty - a rhaid i ni gadw hyn mewn cof - oherwydd prinder gwelyau fel hyn, mae perygl uchel o atglafychu, a bydd hynny, unwaith eto, yn effeithio ar wasanaethau ariannol GIG. Lle y ceir prinder gwelyau, y canlyniad yw rhestrau aros hwy, pwysau'r gaeaf sy'n para'r rhan fwyaf o'r flwyddyn, a'n GIG dan bwysau na all ei gynnal rhagor. Rydym yn cydnabod yn llwyr y ddyled na allwn byth mo'i had-dalu i ofalwyr a gwirfoddolwyr di-dâl. Felly, gan gadw'r arian sydd ar gael mewn cof, a chyllideb nad yw'n gallu ymestyn llawer pellach, hoffwn weld y broses o gau ysbytai bwthyn cymunedol yn cael ei gwrthdroi a chyllid ar gyfer y sector gofal cymdeithasol yn cael ei gynyddu. Diolch yn fawr.