Mike Hedges AM congratulates NHS staff on dealing with the busiest January on Record.

Mike Hedges AM congratulates NHS staff on dealing with the busiest January on Record.

Following the NHS performance Figures release for January, Local Assembly Member for Swansea East, Mike Hedges said.. ‘We all know that Winter sees a spike in use for Health Services but this year has seen unprecedented numbers of people seek treatment in the post-Christmas period. I would like to congratulate the staff at all of the local Hospitals and GP surgeries who have worked so hard to treat people. It is through their dedication to their patients that the service remains able to treat so many people. Without these Drs and Nurses putting in such efforts, the NHS would not have been able to deal with such record numbers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank these staff for their hard work’

NHS Wales Chief Executive Andrew Goodall has responded to the latest NHS performance statistics, published today (Thursday, 22 February).

NHS Wales Chief Executive, Andrew Goodall, said: 

“Our latest figures show that last month was the busiest ever January on record for our A&E Departments. A&E attendance by those aged 85 and over, was the second highest ever for any month on record. Flu has also had an impact on capacity across our system with the highest rates for six years. 

During this busy time, our NHS and social care staff have continued to deliver emergency and planned care with compassion and professionalism. I would like to thank them for their exceptional commitment and hard work during this extremely challenging period. 

Despite the increased workload, their second highest month of activity on record, the Welsh ambulance service maintained its record of meeting the national target for responding to red calls in every month since the new response model began.  

We have worked closely with health boards and partners to develop plans for the winter period, and invested an extra £60m to deliver emergency care and ensure planned care can continue. Despite increased pressure, the number of people having to wait more than 36 weeks for treatment actually decreased at the end of December and we expect to see reductions in waiting times up to the end of March. More cancer patients were treated within the target time in January to December 2017 than in any previous year.

We continue to invest in social services to support our healthcare system and despite the exceptional demand the numbers of Delayed Transfers of Care were the third lowest December on record. This month, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services announced an additional £10m for social services to support people in their homes and communities and relieve pressure on the NHS. 

We will continue to respond to areas of performance that need to be improved but despite record levels of demand on service, our staff have provided a resilient and professional response to support patients this winter.”

MIKE HEDGES AM ASKES FOR WELSH GOVERNMENT STATEMENT ON SUPPORT FOR AND TRAINING FOR USE OF BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE AS THE THIRD LANGUAGE OF WALES

MIKE HEDGES AM ASKES FOR WELSH GOVERNMENT STATEMENT ON SUPPORT FOR AND TRAINING FOR USE OF BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE AS THE THIRD LANGUAGE OF WALES

Mike Hedges AM asked for a Welsh Government Statement on what support was being given to increasing the use of British Sign language in Wales.

Speaking after the Business Statement at Plenary session of the Assembly, Mike Hedges AM said…. ‘I have a family member who is deaf and I chair the Cross Party Group on Deaf issues so I well aware of the importance of British Sign Language to people in Wales. I am pleased by the Ministers Response and look forward to the statement she has promised to bring back in due course. British Sign language is a widely used language and it is vital that more people become familiar with it and that its use at places such as Drs. Surgeries becomes common practice.’

Mike Hedges  - Secondly, a Government statement on support for British sign language and promoting training in its use and Government support for increasing its use by the deaf and non-deaf communities—as you probably remember, you and I were at a meeting, along with Rebecca Evans, with Deffo!, an organisation in Swansea that represents people in the deaf community who use sign language, and they did raise a number of points about making it—it's the third language of Wales—more accessible and providing more support for it and treating it as a much more serious and important language than it currently is.

Julie James - Yes, thank you for those. It's a very, very important point. I'll do those in reverse, if the Member doesn't mind. On British sign language, we were at a very important meeting, the three of us, and I was very impressed by the strength of feeling there about the lack of opportunity and straight discrimination that some families were facing in their attempts to get proper access to British sign language—for example, in doctors' appointments and so on, and also just general access to education. So, I'm going to be taking that forward with my colleague, the Cabinet Secretary for Education. We are currently looking at a whole series of issues around adult learning, for example, and the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill and so on. So, I will certainly be taking that forward. But I will also undertake to bring a statement back in my own portfolio under my equalities hat, saying, across the Government as a whole, what we're doing for BSL and what we can do to improve it. So, I'll certainly be very happy to say that I'll do that.

Assembly Member Mike Hedges Am Supports Fuel Poverty Awareness Day

Assembly Member Mike Hedges Am Supports Fuel Poverty Awareness Day

Local Assembly Member for Swansea East, Mike Hedges AM, has shown their support for Fuel Poverty Awareness Day which takes place on Friday 23rd February. The national day highlights the problems faced by those struggling to keep warm in their homes, and also the excellent work being undertaken to tackle the issue.


One in four households in Wales are living in fuel poverty. That’s nearly 300,000 households that cannot afford to keep warm, or who are living in crippling debt to their energy supplier. Rising energy prices, poor energy efficiency, stagnant wages, and benefit cuts are leaving many having to make the difficult choice between eating and heating their home. Fuel poverty is a catalyst for many economic, social and health problems, and can even cause death. The World Health Organisations estimates that 30% of winter deaths are caused by cold housing.


Assembly Member Mike Hedges AM said:
"No one in Wales or Swansea should be living in a cold home. With the cost of living increasing and energy prices rising, more needs to be done to help the most vulnerable in society. I hope that by supporting Fuel Poverty Awareness Day and highlighting these issues, we can work towards eradicating fuel poverty for good in Wales."


The Welsh Assembly published its Fuel Poverty Strategy in 2010 with the aim of eradicating the problem by 2018. With 23% of people still living in fuel poverty in Wales, it is unlikely that this target is going to be met. National Energy Action (NEA) Cymru is calling for a revised strategy in order to adequately address the issue.


Carole Morgan-Jones, Director of NEA Cymru said:
"We are calling on the Welsh Government to address the problem of fuel poverty and fuel debt by recognising that the 2018 target will not be met. We welcome the investment the Welsh Government is making to improve the energy efficiency of up to 25,000 homes in Wales over the next 4 years.  But whilst we know that energy inefficiency is a contributing factor to fuel poverty, this initiative alone will not solve the problem.  We also need a new strategy outlining a much more joined-up approach by Welsh Government, local authorities, housing associations, advice and health services, as well as other public and voluntary organisations in society."


Fuel Poverty Awareness Day marks the end of National Energy Action's Warm Homes Campaign. Across the country organisations will be supporting the day by holding events, issuing messages of support, and highlighting the issue on social media. To show your support, use the #FuelPovertyAwarenessDay hash tag. For advice on keeping safe and warm in your home, go to www.nea.org.uk/advice

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Mike Hedges asks for Confirmation that Money promised by Welsh Government for Swansea Bay City Deal is still on the table.

Mike Hedges asks for Confirmation that Money promised by Welsh Government for Swansea Bay City Deal is still on the table.

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Mike Hedges AM The one thing I'd like to tell the Cabinet Secretary is that there's massive cross-party support from people living in the Swansea bay city region to make Swansea bay city region a success. What I'm asking is: will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that all the money initially budgeted by the Welsh Government for the Swansea bay city deal is still available for the Swansea bay city deal?172

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Mike Hedges AM  I'm very happy to confirm to the Member that the £125.4 million that we put on the table to get the deal to its conclusion is still available. I am very committed, and as I said to Angela Burns, to do everything we can to assist the deal to move into the next phase so that money that is available can be put to work to support the commitment that I know is there amongst the local population to make this deal a success.

After the debate, Mike said….. ‘I wanted to let the Cabinet Minister know of the ongoing Cross Party support for the Swansea Bay City Deal and to gain clarification from the Minister that previously available support is still there. This is an opportunity to transform the fortunes of the City Region and it is vital that everyone pulls together to maximise the opportunities before us. ‘

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Mike Hedges Calls for Local Authorities to be given powers to put building Roads to adoptable standards as part of planning consents.

Mike Hedges Calls for Local Authorities to be given powers to put building Roads to adoptable standards as part of planning consents.

At a debate on problems relating to unadopted roads, Swansea East AM Mike Hedges called for local Councils to be given powers to force developers to build roads to an adoptable standards as part of planning consents for new estate developments. During the debate, he made the point..

‘It always amazes me that under conditions planners can specify the brick and colour of the windows but cannot specify that the road must be built to adoptable standard’

Mike called for Local Authorities to have the Power to force as part of the planning permission, Developers to build roads on new estates to adoptable standards.

He called for the new Planning Law for Wales which will be introduced in 2020 to include new powers.

Speaking after the debate Mike said…… ‘My case work in recent years has seen literally hundreds of letters complaining about unadopted roads and the problems for residents who live on them. It is time for the Assembly to use the powers we have to introduce a legislative framework to ensure that Local Authorities have the power to demand of developers that roads are built to standards allowing them to be adopted by Local Authorities. For too long the burden has fallen on residents and resident groups such as the Parc Brynheulog Residents Association to fight these battles; it is time the Assembly legislated to support these residents and provide Local Authorities with the relevant powers.’

MIKE HEDGES AM WELCOMES DEVOLUTION OF TAX POWERS AND WELCOMES PLANS FOR A VACANT LAND LEVY.

MIKE HEDGES AM WELCOMES DEVOLUTION OF TAX POWERS AND WELCOMES PLANS FOR A VACANT LAND LEVY.

Following a statement on Devolved tax powers, Swansea East AM, Mike Hedges said that he would welcome a Vacant Land Tax, similar to the one which is already operating in the Republic of Ireland. He asked questions to the Cabinet Member for Finance, Mark Drakeford concerning the ability of a Vacant Land Levy to stop developers hoarding land in order to prevent other Developers from using that land.

After the Statement, Mike Hedges said…….. ‘I greatly welcome the news that a Vacant Land Levy is to be the first tax to test the Wales Act mechanism for introducing new taxes in Wales. There is a desperate need for land to be made available for development, both commercial and residential. It is wrong that landowners can effectively hold planning authorities to ransom over this land; this levy will act as an incentive on land owners to use or free up for others to use the land they own.’

Mike Hedges AM asks Question to Consul General of Welsh Government on Importance of paying Council Tax in Wales.

Mike Hedges AM asks Question to Consul General of Welsh Government on Importance of paying Council Tax in Wales.

Following a recent Court Decision which generated comment on Social Media that people could get away with not paying Council Tax in Wales, Mike Hedges AM for Swansea East asked a Question to the Council General about the fact that people still have to pay council tax, and there are a variety of tools at the disposal of Local authorities and magistrates to pursue payment from those who thought otherwise.

The Consul General replied confirming that there was a legal obligation to pay Council tax, and there were indeed a variety of options for Local Authorities to pursue non payers.

Speaking later Mike Hedges said….  ‘It is vital to make the point that people have an absolute obligation to pay the Council Tax (unless specifically entitled to exemption). The recent court case does not provide a get out clause for paying the council tax.

Council tax makes a vital contribution to the revenue of local authorities which then is spent on providing local services; failure to pay will simply complicate matters by adding legal costs to the collection process – better for this money to be spent on services in the first place.’

END

Mike Hedges AM welcomes new investment to improve roads and road safety in areas close to Swansea East Schools

Mike Hedges AM welcomes new investment to improve roads and road safety in areas close to Swansea East Schools

£420,000 has been awarded to Swansea Council by Welsh Government to improve road safety measures around schools and progress Swansea Urban Connections City centre schemes. Of this £110,300 has been allocated to roads and Schools in Swansea East.

Mike Hedges said…. ‘ this is great news for road safety in areas of Swansea East; this investment will give added incentive to walking and cycling to school which will improve children’s health, while reducing the amount of traffic congestion in the vicinity of these schools.             I look forward to visiting these schemes to see their impacts.

The schemes will accelerate delivery of a range of active travel improvements linked to Welsh Government transport priorities in and support of the landmark Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013.

Full allocation for Swansea East in table below.

Swansea

Llangyfelach Road to Cwm Level Road

SRIC

110,300

Construct a plateau at the existing puffin crossing, provision of new puffin crossing, provision of a controlled crossing, 20 mph zone. Pentrehafod Comprehensive School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Brynhyfryd Primary School, Waun Wen Primary School

Mike Hedges AM welcomes £149,946 for new National Lottery funded research project

Mike Hedges AM welcomes £149,946 for new National Lottery funded research project

Mike Hedges AM was pleased to attend the launch by Barod, a Community Interest Company, of a project called the Bridge which is working in partnership for the next two years with Carmarthenshire People First, My Life My Choice (an Oxford organisation), People First Dorset and Social Firms , “The project is called The Bridge because it aims to bridge the gap between the current situation where too many people with learning difficulties are working for free and their organisations struggle for funding, to a future where individuals and organisations are well paid for their work”.

People with learning difficulties across the UK have developed highly desirable skills through their involvement in self-advocacy and are engaged in high level policy and service design work. However it is rare to be able to secure well paid work that uses these skills, and many groups struggle to find funding.

Five years ago, a small group of people with and without learning difficulties founded Barod Community Interest Company to create their own jobs and run their own business. Recently, Barod benefited from business growth support from Social Firms Wales, funded by Social Business Wales, leading to the idea of the two organisations combining forces for a research project to support and work alongside a small number of self-advocacy organisations who were looking to create paid work for members or generate income for the organisation. Thanks to this funding from the National Lottery Fund, via DRILL (Disability Research on Independent Living and Learning), over the next two years these five organisations will be working together to build a brighter future for people with learning difficulties and for self-advocacy organisations.

Mike Hedges AM Supports campaign to reduce Bowel Cancer rates in Wales.

Mike Hedges AM Assembly Member for Swansea East Aelod y Cynulliad dros Ddwyrain Abertawe

PRESS RELEASE

LOCAL AM PLEDGES TO STOP BOWEL CANCER

Mike Hedges AM National Assembly Member for Wales, has pledged to stop bowel cancer in Swansea East Constituency. Their pledge comes after meeting people affected by bowel cancer at the launch of Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer’s ‘Spotlight on bowel cancer in Wales: early diagnosis saves lives’ report at The Senedd, Cardiff Bay on Tuesday 6 February 2018.

The report highlights five out of seven health boards breach waiting times for tests that can diagnose bowel cancer, an alarmingly low number of eligible people take part in the bowel screening test (53%) and just over half of patients diagnosed with bowel cancer in Wales survive for five years or more (58%).

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Wales. Every year 2,200 people are diagnosed and over 900 people die from the disease, making bowel cancer the second biggest cancer killer. Early diagnosis is crucial because the chance of surviving the disease is closely linked to the stage of cancer.

Nearly everyone diagnosed at the earliest stage of disease (stage 1) will survive, however survival rate drops significantly for those who are diagnosed at the later stages (stage 3 or 4).

Mike Hedges AM, says: “It simply isn’t acceptable that so many people die from bowel cancer each year.  We need to work harder to ensure that more people are diagnosed early when chances of survival are high. That’s why I’m proud to support Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer’s work to stop bowel cancer.”

Lowri Griffiths, Head of Wales at Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer, says: “I’m delighted Mike Hedges AMhas pledged to stop bowel cancer. By working together with people affected by the disease and the clinical and research community, as well as AMs, the charity can achieve its vision that by 2050 no one will die from bowel cancer in Wales and the rest of the UK.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Mike Hedges AM, 97 Pleasant Street, Morrison, Swansea. Tel 01792 790621 Email – Mike Hedges@Assembly.Wales

For more information contact Francesca.toma@bowelcanceruk.org.uk  or call 020 7940 1766 / 07810 204 048
Follow us on social media Twitter @Bowel_Cancer_UK and Facebook charityBCUK

About Bowel Cancer UK
Bowel Cancer UK is the UK’s leading bowel cancer research charity, determined to save lives and improve the quality of life for all those affected by bowel cancer. The charity supports and influences research, educates patients, the public and professionals about bowel cancer and campaigns for early diagnosis and best treatment and care for all those affected. For more information, visit bowelcanceruk.org.uk

About bowel cancer
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and the second biggest cancer killer, affecting both men and women. Every 15 minutes in the UK someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer. That’s over 41,000 people every year.

Bowel cancer is treatable and curable especially if diagnosed early. Nearly everyone diagnosed at the earliest stage will survive bowel cancer. However, this drops significantly as the disease develops. Early diagnosis really does save lives.

Symptoms of bowel cancer include:

·         Bleeding from your bottom and/or blood in your poo

·         A change in bowel habit lasting three weeks or more

·         Extreme tiredness for no obvious reason

·         Unexplained weight loss

·         A pain or lump in your tummy

Most people with these symptoms don’t have bowel cancer. Other health problems can cause similar symptoms. But if you have one or more of these, or if things just don’t feel right, go to see your GP. 

Mike Hedges welcomes figures which show over 1000 families in Swansea East have benefitted from Welsh Government targeted support.

Mike Hedges welcomes figures which show over 1000 families in Swansea East have benefitted from Welsh Government targeted support.

Huw Irranca-Davies has revealed More than 12,600 families in Wales have positively changed their parenting behaviours over the last two years thanks to the support of the Welsh Government’s Families First programme, with over 1300 in Swansea East Constituency.

Figures for Swansea East -

TAF                     186

FPT                     486

Jigso                   304

YPS Evolve              77

Eastside Family Support 336

TOTAL                   1389

Mike Hedges said…….. ‘I am aware of the importance in ensuring that all children have the best start in life, and the Welsh Government is deeply committed to pursuing this aim. I am pleased therefore to see that over 1000 families in Swansea East have benefited from this targeted support. This support aimed at both children and their families is having a significant impact on their readiness for school. I am sure that this support will have significant long term benefit.’

Families First is an early intervention and prevention programme, aimed at improving outcomes for children, young people and families. It is designed to reduce the numbers of families developing more complex needs and requiring more intensive and costly interventions at a later date.

Families First is part of a wide package of measures the Welsh Government has put in place to support parents and families.

The most recent data available show that between April 2015 and March 2017:

·        77% - 12,665 – of parents have benefited from a parenting intervention.

·        80% - 12,567 – of parents improved their ability to support their child’s learning and development needs.

·        78% - 43,111 - of families improved their emotional/mental well-being.

·        73% - 23,395 – of families have reported improved family dynamics.

END

Mike Hedges AM supports Kidney Charity

Mike Hedges the AM for Swansea East has donated the first class rail tickets  to London, kindly provided by GWR, to the Paul Popham fund. Mike said as a patron of the Paul Popham fund I am very impressed with the work they do for people with kidney failure and I am sure they will put these tickets to good use in raising money for the charity.

Joanne Popham said that The Paul Popham Fund, Renal Support Wales is continuously thankful to Mike Hedges for his support of the charity. The kind donation of two first class train tickets will be auctioned off at a fundraiser being held in March by one of the charities volunteers, Abigail Hewitt who is taking on the amazing challenge of trekking to Base Camp Everest at the end of March 2018 with 4 other volunteers, one Geraint John who is himself has had a kidney transplant. 

Mike Hedges AM backs votes at 16

Mike Hedges AM backs votes at 16

Local AM Mike Hedges is supporting plans to give more people a say in local democracy.

The plans reflect last year’s Welsh Government consultation on reforming the electoral system in Wales, which received almost 1000 responses from communities across wales.

Under the proposals to be announced this week, 16 and 17 year olds would be given the right to vote in council elections, along with all foreign nationals legally resident in Wales. Automatic registration would help ensure fewer people were missed from the electoral register.

 The Welsh Government also wants councils to pilot innovative new voting methods, which reflect people’s busy lives. These could include remote digital voting, mobile polling stations and voting at places like supermarkets, local libraries, leisure centres and railway stations.

To ensure that people have a clear choice, councils would have to post policy statements from the candidates on line and all those standing would have to declare any party affiliation.

Mike said “These changes are about engaging people in the political process, especially younger voters. We know that voting is a habit and that amongst those that vote the habit sticks, unfortunately this is also the case for people that don’t vote.”

“I am also excited about exploring new ways of voting. Just because we have voted in a certain way in the past, doesn’t mean that is the only way.  People’s lives and lifestyles are varied and it should be as easy as possible for them to vote.  I will of course be asking questions to ensure that any voting method is completely secure”

“It is also right that residents have the full picture when they choose to vote.  Too often we see card carrying political party members stand as independents, without letting voters know of their affiliation.”

End