Latest news with #Mark.Isherwood
Leader Live
7 days ago
- General
- Leader Live
MS for North Wales visits Wrexham dementia support group
MS for North Wales I was pleased to visit the Wrexham Dementia Hub with Alzheimer's Society Cymru, and to meet and talk with a support group for people living with dementia and carers which was running during my visit. With 51,000 people living with dementia in Wales, and this figure set to rise by 37% to almost 70,000 people by 2040, this type of support is essential. The Dementia Hub is a one-stop information centre anchored in the heart of the community for all things dementia related. Whether it be carers, individuals with a diagnosis, professional health workers, or those who want to educate themselves on the topic, the Hub can signpost to information and services to support each visitor. Wales needs a new Dementia Action Plan with a bold commitment to meet the needs of people who are living with dementia. Other engagements included a research study interview to understand policy makers' perceptions of certain chronic diseases, with particular focus on Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) lung conditions, how they impact the healthcare system and the best policy responses. The latest NHS statistics for Wales revealed NHS treatment waiting lists remain at 790,020 pathways, equivalent to nearly 1-in-4 Welsh people. Over 10,000 patients waited in A&E for over 12 hours in April. The target is zero. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has the worst performance in Wales against the Welsh Government's 4-hour and 12-hour targets for A&E. Although two-year waits have fallen, they remain at 8,389 in Wales, compared with only 147 in England, with the majority - 5,747 - in the Health Board for North Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr. June 8th 2025 marks 10 years since the Welsh Government first placed Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in special measures. It cannot be right that since special measures were introduced, the number of patient pathways have increased by 129%, and the number of two year-waits have increased by 287,250%. The Labour Health Minister, now First Minister, Eluned Morgan, promised to eliminate these waits by March 2023, then March 2024, but these targets have still not been met. Next week in the Senedd, the Welsh Conservatives will be putting forward a motion calling on the Welsh Government to initiate a public inquiry into Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. As I said in my speech at the recent Welsh Conservative Party Conference, 'Despite the dedication of frontline staff, our Welsh NHS is on urgent care'. Lives must not be put at risk and change is urgently needed. For help, email or call 0300 200 7219.
Leader Live
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
North Wales MS shares updates from his week in the Senedd
MS for North Wales Questioning the First Minister, I asked her to respond to concern expressed by senior Third Sector representatives at the Family Fund's recent Senedd launch event for their 'Cost of Caring 2025' report, which I hosted, that 'It's time to talk about the wholesale crisis we are in for disabled children and adults in Wales'. Questioning the Education Secretary about the Welsh Government's Additional Learning Needs (ALN) reforms, I quoted both the ALN Reform Wales campaign, who told me 'they had received countless stories of children missed or left behind by the new system'; and Teachers Unions, which stated 'the system is forcing teachers away from the classroom' and told me 'effective interventions are only possible if education professionals are not spending precious time completing paperwork'. I co-Sponsored and attended the 21st annual 'Science in the Senedd Event 2025', organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry in cooperation with the Welsh Scientific and Engineering community, with the theme 'Education and the Future Workforce'. We are on the edge of profound societal transformation. If we are to build the future workforce we need, we must first build an education system that is adaptable, inclusive and forward-looking. Meetings included the Senedd Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, which I Chaired; the Royal British Legion, where discussion included the 80th anniversary of VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day) on 15th August and Additional Learning Needs provision for Service Children; and NatPower, regarding their proposed new Battery Energy Storage System on land north east of Northop. I enjoyed meeting a group from Hawarden Village Church School during their Senedd visit. Other engagements included Wales Tourism Week Senedd Reception; Community Pharmacy Wales; Nuclear Industry Association; Newmedica's 'Blueprint for Preventing Avoidable Sight Loss in Wales'; Wales Women's Rights Network event, highlighting the importance of the recent Supreme Court clarification of the meaning of 'sex' and 'woman' for the lives of women and girls in Wales; and audit survey on Natural Resources Wales. During my speech on Fixing our NHS at the Welsh Conservative Party Conference in Llangollen, I stated 'this is about long-term failure and mismanagement' and 'after 26 years of Labour, we must move from ideology to pragmatism, focused on what works and unlocking the skills and experience of Health and Care staff'. At the Conference I was also a panel member at the Cwmpas and WCVA event, 'Charities, Social Enterprises and Volunteers' Vital Role in Community Cohesion', and met a wide range of organisations and charities. For help, email or call 0300 200 7219.
Leader Live
14-05-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
North Wales MS Mark Isherwood shares his weekly update
MS for North Wales Questioning the First Minister about the accessibility of town centres and outdoor public places for blind and partially sighted people, I referred to correspondence I received from Guide Dogs Cymru stating that 'blind and vision impaired people are rarely consulted on Place Making Plans, in spite of Welsh Government's expectations, and the legal requirement for Equality Impact Assessments to demonstrate accessible and meaningful engagement'. After also referring to Deaf and hearing loss charity RNID's latest report, 'Still Ignored: The Fight for Accessible Healthcare', which found that 'despite the All Wales Standards for Accessible Communication and Information being introduced more than a decade ago, fewer than 1 in 5 agreed that their information and communication needs are met more often now than a decade ago', I therefore asked whether her Welsh Government will 'introduce, at last, effective monitoring of Wales' accessibility standards for people with sensory loss, involving them in the process'. Wales is the only UK country without a Deaf Mental Health Service, yet Deaf people are twice as likely to experience a mental health problem as a hearing person. Responding to the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing's Statement, 'The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy', I therefore asked her why the Strategy does not confirm involvement of the All Wales Deaf Mental Health and Wellbeing Group. I also asked her why the Strategy does not categorically state that conditions such as Autism and ADHD are lifelong conditions, not mental health conditions, although they can lead to challenges that increase the risk of mental health issues, and that it is therefore incumbent on Services to establish and adjust to a Neurodivergent person's needs, and stop treating them as the problem. Senedd engagements included Biodiversity Day event, where I met RSPB Cymru in my role as the Wales Species Champion for the Curlew, and Cross-Party Group on Dementia. Following MS Awareness Week 2025, I also sponsored an MS Society Cymru 'MS Conversations' event in the Senedd. Informed by issues raised in both the September 2024 Auditor General for Wales report on Active Travel in Wales and the Welsh Government's Active Travel Board report for 2023-24, the Senedd Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee, which I Chair, is undertaking an inquiry into Active Travel. As part of this, I visited Slovenia with the Committee. 'Active travel' describes everyday journeys made in a physically active way. Other engagements included the Polish Integration Support Centre (PISC)'s Polish Heritage Day celebration at St. Mary's Cathedral, Wrexham. For help, email or call 0300 200 7219.
Leader Live
30-04-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
MS shares his weekly updates from across North Wales
MS for North Wales It was a pleasure to attend the official launch of the Eden Project's Big Lunch Campaign for Wales 2025 at 'Outside Lives', Aberduna Hall, Gwernymynydd. The Big Lunch is the UK's annual get-together for neighbours and communities. Mold-based 'Outside Lives' actively brings together members of the community, providing activities and events that support personal wellbeing and growth, building stronger, healthier connections among people through shared interests, understanding and celebrating our natural world. I met charity 'Young Lives vs Cancer' to discuss the key findings in Wales of their new report 'The Cost of Waiting – The need for improved benefits support for young cancer patients and their families', which found that more than half of young people with cancer and their families face extra expenses within the first month, and that almost a third of patients finish active treatment before receiving a decision on benefits. I also met the UK charity 'Missing People', which is dedicated to offering support to children and adults when they go missing, to discuss the important issue of children and adults going missing in North Wales. Each year approximately 18,000 missing incidents are reported in Wales, while across the UK more than 170,000 people are reported missing in 320,000 incidents. I was told that 1,400 of those incidents are adults in North Wales and, worryingly, that 555 children were also reported missing to North Wales Police last year alone, involving more than 2,800 incidents. Discussion included the need for this not to be seen as just a Police issue, and instead for multi-agency prevention and emotional support; the strong link between missing adults, mental health and suicide; and concern that although 'Return Home Interviews' are offered to children and young people in England, they are not offered to them in Wales, despite evidence showing that they reduce harms and those going missing again. People who go missing are among the most vulnerable in our society, including care experienced or exploited children, adults in mental health crisis, and older people living with dementia. Other engagements included a briefing on the proposed Carbon Dioxide Spur Pipeline to connect the cement works at Padeswood with the HyNet Carbon Dioxide Pipeline at Northop Hall, focused on carbon capture and storage (CCS) to reduce emissions from industry and support economic growth, and an interview for research about politicians' attitudes towards the companies that will develop renewable energy projects across the UK, and how developers can best communicate with politicians and their constituents. For help, email or call 0300 200 7219.
Leader Live
23-04-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Informative visit to Water Treatment Works, Wrexham
MS for North Wales I MET with representatives of both the All-Wales Deaf Mental Health and Well-Being Group, a group of Deaf and hearing professionals and charities, and DSN (Deaf & Sensory Network), who provide the adult social care contracts to those in the Deaf Community in Wrexham and Flintshire, to discuss DSN's support for my campaign for a Mental Health Service for Deaf people in Wales and provide an update on my British Sign Language (BSL) (Wales) Bill. As Chair of the Cross-Party Group on Disability, I also met 'STAND North Wales (NW)' (Stronger Together for Additional Needs and Disabilities) for an update on their Petition to the Welsh Parliament Petitions Committee, 'Make Blue badge Applications Lifelong for individuals who have a lifelong diagnosis'; and discussion of other issues also creating barriers for the families they work with. I visited independent mental health charity Conwy Mind at their offices in Abergele, to see their work first-hand and to discuss the launch of their new mental health initiative that aims to break down barriers and make mental health support accessible to all - including Deaf and hard of hearing people, with both their CEO and Team members, and the CEO of Colwyn Bay-based COS (Centre of Sign-Sight-Sound). During an informative visit to water company Hafren Dyfrdwy's Llwyn Onn Water Treatment Works, Wrexham, I was given an overview of the site and the work their teams do, before going on a tour of the works. As Wales Species Champion for the endangered Curlew, It was a pleasure to join RSPB Cymru on a site visit to the Mynydd Hiraethog (Denbigh Moors) 'Important Curlew Area' (ICA) site to mark World Curlew Day, which was on April 21st – and to see a Curlew flying there! As a member of the campaign for Removal of Barriers Along the Flintshire Coastal Path, I joined campaigners for an update now that Flintshire County Council have committed to the review and removal of the barriers. The current situation contravenes both the UK Equality Act (2010) and the legal and policy frameworks of the Welsh Government and Flintshire County Council itself, and I have been working with disabled people and others across Flintshire for a decade, seeking to work with Flintshire County Council to remove all barriers along the Wales Coastal Path that are managed by the Council, allowing access for all. Other engagements included the Women's Rights Network vigil for the women of Afghanistan which took place at Queens Square in Wrexham. For help, email or call 0300 200 7219.
