SAM ROWLANDS, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has slammed the Welsh Government for continuing to ignore concerns over the NHS in his region.
Mr Rowlands, Shadow Health Minister, and a harsh critic of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board recently asked people to take part in his online Big Welsh NHS survey and a resounding almost 93% said it needed to be a top priority for the Welsh Government.
He said: “First of all I would like to thank all the people who have so far taken the time to answer my questions and leave their comments. Many of you expressed the concerns we all have about the state of the health service in North Wales.
“Almost 66% of people said they were dissatisfied with the NHS in North Wales and over 35% have been on a waiting list for treatment for over two years.
“There was also a high percentage of just over 51% who said that social care needed to be a top priority for the Welsh Government as well.
“I was not surprised about the depth of feelings about the NHS shown in the comments with many saying much more needed to be done to improve the health service in North Wales.
“Almost 90%, 420 people said the introduction of the default 20mph speed limit was not an effective way to support the NHS despite Welsh Government saying it would make roads safer and reduce the burden on the health service.
“Many respondents want to see the Welsh Government get a grip of the situation and stop spending money on vanity projects like the ridiculous 20mph speed limit on our roads.
“Many called for better access to GPs and dentists, reducing increasing waiting lists, increasing pay for staff and the list goes on.
“It really is a shocking indictment of the way the Welsh Government runs the NHS in North Wales.
“Let’s hope the new First Minister starts to listen to everyone’s concerns and takes immediate action to help our struggling health services in North Wales.
The survey is still on the website at https://www.samrowlands.org.uk/nhs-survey.
