Access to primary care in Flintshire is a concern I hear about often from people in our community, in particular people’s frustrations around getting through to GP surgeries and booking appointments. That’s why I raised this issue with the Welsh Government in the Senedd last week, emphasising the need to improve access to GPs while also increasing awareness of alternative services, like those provided by pharmacies, to help people get the care they need quickly. It was reported last week that 400,000 people used the common ailments service in pharmacies across Wales in the last 12 months – this service is available in 99% of Welsh pharmacies and offers free confidential advice and treatments for 28 common illnesses, and takes the strain off GP surgeries.
As your Member of the Senedd, it’s always been important to me to make sure communities across the constituency have their voices heard and our NHS is something which touches all our lives and matters so much to us, but we continue to face challenges across Wales and not least in our corner of the country. I’d love to hear your thoughts on health and care in our area – please take a moment to complete my Our Home, Our Health survey at www.hannahblythyn.cymru/our-home-our-health-survey or, if you prefer to fill out a paper form, call my office at 01352 753464 and we’ll send you a hard copy.
Our town centres are much more than simply places – they’re part of who we are and where we’re from. That’s why it is so important that they are accessible to all and places for everyone. Last week during First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd, I highlighted the issue of accessibility in our town centres for young people. Being able to get into town was something that was raised with me when I met with WeMindTheGap recently to discuss their Big Conversation project, which aims to provide a platform for the voices of young people aged 18-21 in Flintshire. During the session in the Senedd I reflected on my own experiences as a teenager travelling by bus to the town I now live in. I’ve called on the Welsh Government to make sure that today’s town centres are not only places that young people want to go to but are also accessible to them in the first place.
This week saw Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday, a day where we remember all those who have lost their lives to genocides, especially during the Holocaust and during more recent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. This year, HMD saw the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp complex, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia. Every year on that date we commemorate the six million Jews murdered and the millions of other people killed under Nazi persecution and in subsequent genocides in other countries. In the Senedd, I wrote in the Book of Commitment and pledged to keep working towards ensuring that something like this never happens again, that no group of people should be persecuted for their ethnicity or religious beliefs. This year’s theme was ‘for a better future’, you can read more about it at https://hmd.org.uk/resource/take-action-for-a-better-future.
Back in September, I was elected chair of the Senedd Standards Committee and one of the committee’s important areas of work is the process behind how Members of the Senedd can be held accountable to the people who elected them. Last week the committee reported on recommendations to create a system of ‘recall’ that works for Wales. The committee’s recommendations set out a process to potentially ‘remove and replace’ a member who has seriously breached the code of conduct and strengthens democracy by providing the electorate with a greater say.
The Committee is urging the Welsh Government to introduce these changes in time for the next Senedd elections in 2026 and last week’s report is part of the committee’s wider reform work aimed at ensuring greater trust and transparency – in our politicians, our politics and the processes that underpins everything. Politicians must act with decency and integrity and should be accountable to the public if they don’t – it’s important that we create a robust system that means that MSs are fully answerable to the people of Wales and that reinforces public confidence in members of the Senedd.
Finally, I know that Storm Éowyn at the weekend left issues with more flooding and some powercuts across North Wales in its wake, as well as problems with public transport. For the latest information on road closures in Flintshire, visit www.flintshire.gov.uk/en/Resident/Streetscene/Roadworks/Home.aspx and you can report any power outages by calling 105 or visiting https://powercuts.nationalgrid.co.uk – and please check up on your more vulnerable neighbours if you can to make sure they are okay.
As always, if you would like advice and/or support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on any of the following contact details – 52 High Street, Mold, Flintshire, on 01352 753464 or by email hannah.blythyn@senedd.wales. You can also keep up to date via my Facebook page – www.facebook.com/HannahBlythynForDelyn. Constituents are, of course, welcome to contact my office to arrange an appointment to see me, you don’t need to wait for an advice surgery.