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Wales Online
11 hours ago
- Health
- Wales Online
Welsh NHS will only help terminally ill end their life if Senedd agrees first
Welsh NHS will only help terminally ill end their life if Senedd agrees first The Senedd will get a say in whether the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will include the Welsh NHS Assisted dying bill protestors gather outside the House of Commons (Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror ) The Welsh NHS will only will assist terminally ill people to die if the Senedd agrees to it, the Welsh Parliament has been told. Last week MPs in the House of Commons agreed to legalise an assisted dying bill for terminally ill people in England and Wales. However, the Welsh Parliament has been told today - Wednesday, June 25 - that Senedd members will have a vote on whether assisted dying services will be available in the public sector via the Welsh NHS. As healthcare is devolved in Wales, questions have arisen as to how the new law will work here. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The Senedd will get a say on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in Wales (Image: Senedd Cymru ) In October 2024, the Senedd voted against a law allowing assisted dying to be introduced in Wales. But, last week, a suggestion of allowing the Senedd to have a veto over all the important parts of the law was taken out by MPs. Article continues below Today, Counsel General Julie James was asked by MS Tom Giffard whether the Senedd will have a say in the decision regarding the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. He asked: "Can you outline what discussions you have had with the UK Government to stand up for the voice of this Senedd, to ensure that we do have a say? "And do you have an assurance from the UK Government that, if this LCM in this Senedd produces a different outcome to the vote in Parliament, our decision will be respected by the UK Government?" Article continues below Ms James, the Welsh Government's most senior legal adviser, confirmed: "Just to reassure the member, and, indeed, all Members of the Senedd, the Bill still contains the key provisions that mean that the NHS or any public body in Wales will not be able to provide voluntary assisted dying services until regulations have been laid by Ministers and there has been an affirmative vote in the Senedd to that effect." A vote is expected to take place in the Senedd this autumn regarding the bill and whether it agrees to the legislation applying in areas controlled by the Senedd.
BBC News
13 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Senedd to decide if Welsh NHS provides assisted dying service
The Welsh NHS will only help terminally people take their lives if the Senedd agrees to it first, the Welsh Parliament has been agreed to pass legislation last week to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people in Wales and there has been confusion over how that might work in Wales with the Senedd, which oversees law on healthcare, having rejected a similar idea last Wednesday, Counsel general Julie James told Senedd members they would have a decision to take on whether assisted dying services are available in the public sector. Conservative Senedd member Tom Giffard said it is "essential" the Senedd has a meaningful law, which legalises assisted dying for people with a terminal illness, applies to Wales and England, but has raised constitutional questions because of the way it is well as legalising assisted death in both countries, it covers how such a system would work - getting into areas of law about healthcare normally governed by the Welsh a result, there has been a debate about how much control the Senedd should October, the Senedd voted against a motion calling for a law to allow assisted dying, albeit with a number of is expected that there will be at least one vote in the Senedd on the matter - the first on whether it agrees to the legislation applying in areas controlled by the Senedd, expected in the vote would not be legally binding, but would show the desire for whether the Welsh Parliament thinks the law should apply in areas it controls. Another vote would likely be needed if the Welsh government wanted to operate an assisted dying service, but it may not choose to bring one if the Senedd is against the policy. An earlier idea in the bill was for the Senedd to have a veto over all the important parts of the law - allowing MSs to decide when it comes into last week MPs decided to take that Wednesday, James - who is the welsh government's most senior legal adviser and a MS herself - said the power was removed to avoid giving Welsh ministers powers that were outside the Senedd's is because the Government of Wales act specifically prohibits the Senedd from amending the law on she added: "The bill still contains the key provisions that mean that the NHS or any public body in Wales will not be able to provide voluntary assisted dying services until regulations have been laid by ministers and there has been an affirmative vote in the Senedd to that effect."Giffard said it was "regrettable" the "veto" power had been told BBC Wales: "While the bill has passed through Westminster, it's important to remember that the Senedd did not support it when it was last debated."A decision of such gravity must not be imposed on Wales without the explicit consent of its elected representatives." James indicated that the Welsh government would remain neutral on the three Senedd parties had a free vote the last time the matter came to the Senedd.A three person panel will decide individual patient requests for assisted ap Gwynfor, of Plaid Cymru, told the Senedd that as things stand there "won't necessarily be an ability for all members of that panel to operate through the medium of Welsh".He said patients will have to request the use of the language from any assisted dying service, "without it being a natural choice which is offered".James said Health Secretary Jeremy Miles have been in "constant contact" with Kim Leadbeater - the MP who has proposed the legislation - "and those matters have included Welsh language considerations".
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Back of queue threat for people who miss NHS appointments
Patients who regularly miss NHS appointments could be sent to the back of the queue under plans to cut waiting times, BBC Wales has been told. It is one of a number of Welsh government ideas being discussed to improve the NHS, which has recently seen small reductions in record waiting lists. The threat of sanctions would be balanced by an improved Welsh NHS app, which would allow patients to track their progress through the system and make or amend appointments at the touch of a button. Health boards could also have their funding clawed back if they have been given extra cash to hit specific targets but do not make them. But this will not affect core health board funding. The plans are being framed as striking a new deal between the NHS and patients, where there would be a greater expectation for patients to play their part. In order to better manage waiting lists, there could also be increased levels of intervention to get patients fit for surgery, such as people being asked to lose weight or exercise more before they are placed on a waiting list. Welsh NHS bosses 'not the problem' say doctors Hospital waiting times improve for second month 'I thought I would die waiting for an ambulance' The way the NHS in Wales is led is also likely be streamlined – with the aim of making it simpler and more accountable – just two years after previous changes. The NHS Wales Executive was established in 2023 as a "hybrid" body made up of NHS staff and civil servants with the aim of strengthening leadership and helping to transform clinical services. But a highly critical Audit Wales report into cancer services earlier this year raised serious concerns about its effectiveness, with auditors finding "confusion and duplication " at leadership level and a "lack of clarity" about the responsibilities of the Welsh government and the executive. The Welsh government is also thought to be considering commissioning at a national level for services provided by the private sector to try and get better deals, rather than what it sees as a local and last minute approach. Health boards are expected to push back against the idea, but ministers are expected to argue the new proposal would lead to better planning and value for money. Publishing a wider range of performance data for each of Wales' seven health boards is also being considered as part of a drive for greater transparency and accountability. This would not be released in the form of league tables, but is aimed at introducing a greater sense of "competition" so health boards performing poorly in certain areas can learn and be judged against the best. A panel of independent experts, which was commissioned in October to review the NHS, is expected to publish its findings at the end of April. They are thought to have serious concerns about the effectiveness of performance management. Health Secretary Jeremy Miles is expected to give more details on some of the proposals in the coming days. They are understood to reflect a growing desire to get a grip with what's viewed as underperformance over a number of years, despite significant extra investment. We'll prioritise NHS waits over reform, says Morgan
