Minister heartened by progress on new curriculum

Education Minister Huw Lewis has said he is heartened by progress to develop a new curriculum for Wales, and that strong foundations are being built as a result of joint working between Welsh Government and the teaching profession. More than 175 schools have been selected to be part of the Pioneer Schools Network and are working closely with Welsh Government, and other partners to develop the new curriculum. The Minister said: “I am heartened by the progress, the enthusiasm and the leadership happening across the education system in Wales. Our pioneer schools and practitioners are right at the forefront of this and are working with government, workforce unions and the wider system to co-design, consult, inform, support and build capacity in our schools across Wales.”

New drug to treat Morquio Syndrome

A new drug to treat Morquio Syndrome, a rare life-limiting inherited disease, will be available on the Welsh NHS, the Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford has announced. The Minister has approved a recommendation from the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) that Vimizim® (elosulfase alfa) should be available in Wales. Morquio Syndrome is a very rare inherited disease. The signs and symptoms of the condition are usually not obvious at birth but start to appear in the early years of a child’s life. These include oddly-shaped bones, knock knees, spine curvature and irregular chest growth. The Minister said: “I’m pleased to be able to ratify the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group’s recommendation that Vimizim®, which is the first treatment which has the potential to alter the course of Morquio Syndrome, should be available in Wales.”

£4m to improve support for elderly and disabled people

A £4 million investment to improve support for disabled and elderly people wanting to live independently in their own home has been announced by the Minister for Communities and Tackling Poverty, Lesley Griffiths. From 1 April 2016 the enhanced system of delivering essential housing adaptations such as ramps, handrails, walk-in showers and stair-lifts, will be rolled out across Wales. Enable – Support for Independent Living will make it quicker and easier for people to get help when they need it. The Minister said: “Home adaptations enable people to continue to live independently in the homes they love with the dignity they deserve. Such preventative measures not only improve people’s overall quality of life, they also reduce avoidable demands on our hard-pressed NHS by preventing emergency admissions to hospitals as a result of falls. Estimates show every pound invested in housing adaptations creates a £7.50 saving for our health and social services.”

£4.4m boost for free advice services

Communities Minister Lesley Griffiths has announced £4.4 million for frontline advice services which provide vital support to people in financial difficulty. The grant funding for 2016-17 will enable Citizens Advice Cymru, Shelter Cymru, SNAP Cymru, Age Cymru and Tenovus to continue to offer free quality advice to help people repay debt, claim the welfare benefits they are entitled to, gain employment, overcome discrimination and resolve housing disputes. Of the funding announced today, half will go towards Citizens Advice Cymru’s Better Advice, Better Lives project, which sees health practitioners signpost patients to CAB advisors for specialist support – in turn improving patients’ financial situation and wellbeing. The Minister said: “When people are facing serious problems, such as ill health, debt, unemployment or housing issues, quality advice and support can provide a real lifeline. The £4.4m I have announced will enable free advice services to continue to deliver much needed support to vulnerable people across Wales.”

Key cancer waiting times improve

Waiting times for a key cancer target in Wales have improved - the best performance in six months, new figures show. The figures for January 2016 show 86.5% of people (492 out of 569) newly-diagnosed with cancer started treatment, following an urgent GP referral within the target time of 62 days (known as the urgent suspected cancer route) – this includes all diagnostic tests and consultations with experts. This is up from 86.2% in December 2015 and is the best performance since July 2015. The improvements in the 62-day cancer waiting time performance comes after Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething asked each of Wales’ health boards to produce 100-day plans to improve cancer services in October 2015. The Deputy Minister said: “Over the last 12 months, more than 16,000 people in Wales have started treatment for cancer in the Welsh NHS, with 14,926 treated within target time.I’m pleased to see an improvement in the number of people newly-diagnosed with cancer starting treatment within the 62-day target.”

Apprenticeships in Wales exceed majority of targets with success rates high

An independent evaluation of the Welsh Government’s Apprenticeship programme has found the vast majority of performance targets were exceeded. The ‘Evaluation of the Work-Based Learning Programme 2011-2014: Apprenticeships’ report also reveals that Apprenticeship success rates are high at 84% and the majority of employers were happy with their apprenticeships experience saying it was likely that they would offer apprenticeships in the future. The Welsh Government’s Apprenticeship programme is one of several Work Based Learning and skills and employability programmes that have received support from the European Social Fund since 2011. Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Julie James, welcomed the publication of the evaluation:“This independent report confirms what we have been saying for some time; our Apprenticeships programme has been highly successful and is making a big difference to individuals, employers and the wider Welsh economy.”

Pancreatic cancer drug still available in Wales

The pancreatic cancer drug Abraxane will continue to be available in Wales despite a decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to not recommend its use in the NHS, the Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford has announced. In September 2014, the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) appraised Abraxane for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and recommended it as a treatment option in NHS Wales. It has been available in Wales since the AWMSG decision. NICE subsequently appraised Abraxane and published its decision not recommend its use within the NHS in England or Wales in October 2015. NICE advice normally supersedes an AWMSG recommendation. The Minister said: “I’m pleased to confirm the Welsh Government has finalised an access agreement with Celgene to enable continued availability of Abraxane for Welsh patients with pancreatic cancer.”

EU programmes ‘vital to research and innovation’ “EU funding programmes are vital to deliver world-class science and innovation in Wales”, said Finance and Government Business Minister Jane Hutt. Since its launch, Welsh organisations have been successful in securing over £30 million from the EU’s largest research and innovation programme Horizon 2020. It has helped take part in pan-European projects to make innovative and scientific breakthroughs, and develop world-class products and services. The Minister said: “We have already achieved significant success through the Horizon 2020 programme. As a pro-European Government, it is vital we continue to work together to maximise the benefits that EU funds provide for the Welsh economy.”

Trade Union Bill should “not be pursued” says First Minister

First Minister for Wales Carwyn Jones has called on the UK Government to withdraw the controversial Trade Union Bill in light of its overwhelming defeat in the House of Lords. In January, the National Assembly of Wales opposed the application to Wales of key provisions in the Bill. The First Minister said: “This Bill is damaging, divisive, intrudes on the delivery of public services in Wales. The Lords vote reflects the overwhelming opposition to this Bill across the country from all quarters.”