Welsh Overcast Report No.14

Welsh Assembly Election Debate Focuses on NHS Improvement

Late last night the official debates were hosted for the Welsh Assembly elections on BBC Wales, with party leaders in attendance to discuss their ideas for boosting the Welsh economy in the coming years and increase our security for post Brexit conditions. One of the points that was heavily emphasized was the NHS, a subject that has been politically determining for elections for a few years now. Here is what was suggested by candidates to improve the service provided by the NHS.

Liberal Democrats

Donna Lalek for the liberal democrats recommended that extra taxes should be implemented to better the services of the NHS. Higher taxes are likely to become more impositional in coming months and years, due to economic instability of the pounds inflation not backed by job sector growth and other economical factors. However to breach the funding deficit of the NHS would need exponentially higher taxes for everyone, and should be something considered for rising corporate taxes as well.

Green

Duncan Rees of the Green party is in agreement with Laleks idea too of increasing income taxes for Welsh people. He was aware of the fact that the Assemblies ability to increase the tax was going to be coming to fruition soon, and was eager to use this as a justification for the proposition. Rees also highlighted the importance and necessity of of harmonizing healthcare and social care in order to ensure patients safety, and to better the facilities and services available to those post hospitalization. This would reduce numbers of repeat patients and improve mental health averages in Wales.

Plaid Cymru

Carrie Harper of Plaid identified lack of employment and job creation in the medical sector was one of the main problems facing the NHS today alongside lackadaisical management . She implied that people stay to the career in which they train, and it is therefore a problem that Wales has a lack of medical schools in proportion to the citizens. She was highly positive on the idea of creating new Medical School across the country - mainly North Wales - would help to ease the employment gap in the healthcare industry and increase the capacity of hospitals care provision and standards.

Conservatives

Sarah Atherton for the Conservatives suggested that the best way to solve the problems of the NHS is to use a "root and branch" technique, and analyse the system from within. She said that as she used to be a nurse herself she was aware of under utilization and waste concurrent in the NHS due to the working pressures of all levels of the service. She suggested that by indicating what departments, jobs, management strategies and facilities are causing inconsistencies in the NHS, problems will be more easily addressable.

All make relevant points and alternative solutions to one another, but higher taxes is unfavorable for the Welsh population due to heightening council taxes by constituency and living expenses, worsened by a lessening of government support. Such changes would negatively effect lower income brackets, so evidently some form of equilibrium needs to be reached in this situation. Speculation remains as to Sergeants opinions and solutions for the NHS's inefficiencies, and his absence here may harm his candidacy on a larger scale.