Calls for answers over the Welsh Labour Government’s failure to recruit NHS professionals in Wales

Welsh Conservative Leader in the Assembly, Paul Davies AM, has called for the Welsh Labour Government to explain how they will recruit extra doctors, nurses and other health professional working in the Welsh NHS if a future UK Labour Government implements a 32 hour working week.

Currently, the Welsh Labour Government is facing a recruitment crisis in the Welsh NHS which has led to spiralling agency bills, rising by a substantial 171% over the last seven years and has resulted in the closure of services as they can no longer be safely staffed. Despite a £7 million increase in Welsh Government funding the number of pre-registration nursing places have remained static in the last year and the closure of GP surgeries has meant 40,000 patients having to find a new GP over the last five years.

Following the announcement by Labour’s Shadow Chancellor at the Labour Party Conference, the CBI Director General Carolyn Fairbairn made it clear that “without productivity gains it would push many businesses into loss.”

Commenting after First Minister’s Questions, Paul Davies AM, said:

“There are fundamental issues with our Welsh NHS service and our education system after being run by Welsh Labour for the last 20 years. Under this Government our young people are being left  behind and patients and staff are being failed – more than 20,000 people each month have to wait more than four hours for treatment in A&E and our GCSE results have not changed in a decade.

“But instead of tackling these issues, Labour are focussing on the wrong priorities, pushing policies that would undermine our economy and bring our public services to a standstill. All the time not confirming that they will spend the extra £2.44 billion from the UK Conservative Government over the next three years on our Welsh NHS and our children’s future.”