PRESS RELEASE

Assembly Member for Aberconwy, Janet Finch-Saunders, has called on the Welsh Government to integrate health and social services in a way that works to support the most vulnerable people in Wales.

Speaking during a debate in Plenary, the Assembly Member said: “with the predicted increase of 90% in the population of Wales over the age of 85 by 2030, it is imperative that we act now to get this right. Integrated care is about providing a seamless service that combines health services and social care to ensure the best outcome for patients.

“The UK Government has committed £3.8 billion of NHS budgets in 2015-16, which reflects the need to shift to more integrated services. By focusing care services more on prevention rather than cure, it can not only lead to better outcomes for patients, but also a dramatic saving for both health and social services budgets.

“The Welsh Government should be looking at examples of best practice from across the UK where services have been successfully integrated. It serves nobody to pretend that it will be easy to do this, but the Welsh Government should act now to ensure the right outcomes for the people of Wales.”

ENDS