I am honoured to have the opportunity to seek your support to continue to serve on the SHA’s Central Council. Over recent years the Association has gone a long way to re-discover its unambiguous commitment to a public service health and social care system. It is crucial that this work continues.
I have worked as a general practitioner in Upper Afan Group Practice from 1980-1999 in the former mining village of Blaengwynfi. When I worked as a GP I was a council member of the Medical Practitioners Union / Doctors in Unite ( MPU / DiU)and it’s representative on the GMSC / GPC for many years. I was also Local Medical Committee Member and Secretary for West Glamorgan.
In 1999 I was elected to the National Assembly for Wales for 12 years representing the Aberavon Constituency. I served as Health Minister and Local Government Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government.
I am passionately committed to the National Health Service as a public service. This is the best and most cost effective way to deliver quality, equitable health care for all the population. Our NHS needs to deliver continuing, personalised, readily accessible care to those who need it, tackle health inequalities as well as promoting public health and well-being.
Our health service must be under-pinned by an integrated, free and coherent social care system. We need to place greater value on social care staff so that they can have the training and time to deliver a service that promotes the independence and dignity of those who need it.
Our public services cannot stand still. They must work to improve standards and quality. This must be driven by the visible hand of patient and public accountability rather than the invisible hand of the market. Commercialisation is a blind alleyway which undermines the very essence of the service.
Greater investment is needed in our health and social care system. This is indispensable if we are to have the people and the means to deliver a service that is fit for the needs of the 21st century.