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• Managed return of students over four week period, beginning 11 January
• Lateral-flow testing programme to resume, to enable safe return to term-time accommodation and in-person learning
• Students will be asked to take two tests over three days, or lay low and not mix for 14 days, when they return.

Parents and carers on low incomes with children who are self-isolating will be eligible for a £500 support payment.

Updated contingency plans aimed at keeping any disruption at the Port of Holyhead to the absolute minimum when the EU Transition period ends on 31 December have been announced by the Welsh Government.

Today the Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething has announced record funding of over £227m to expand health professional workforce training places in Wales, an increase of over £16m from last year.

Residents of a North Wales town will soon take part in a pilot for a new digital method of tracking recycling, helping Wales on its route to a zero-waste, circular economy.

“Arts and Culture in Wales must survive this pandemic” says Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism

Today, on International Volunteer Day, the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt, has said “Thank you” to the many volunteers who have made a difference in Wales this year, and announced a new £4 grant fund for third sector organisations, working in partnership with the public sector.

Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, has announced routine testing of asymptomatic frontline health and social care staff will start this month in Wales.

The Chief Veterinary Officers for England, Scotland and Wales have agreed to bring in new measures to help protect poultry and captive birds, following a number of cases of avian influenza in both wild and captive birds in the UK.

The Welsh Government is calling on people, businesses and organisations across Wales to help shape a new strategy setting out how digital, data, technology and AI can improve lives, drive sustainability and grow the economy.

Travel between Wales and areas of the UK with high rates of coronavirus will not be allowed from 6pm tomorrow (Friday 4 December), First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed.

Virtual consultations across NHS Wales services are to be expanded to include virtual group clinics, for outpatients across primary, secondary and community care, the Health Minister, Vaughan Gething has announced.

The use of  video consultations, called Attend Anywhere, has expanded rapidly over recent months and has helped to ensure patients continue to safely access healthcare services during the pandemic.

To date, just under 11,000 GP consultations and almost 62,000 secondary and community care appointments have already taken place virtually in Wales.

Virtual group clinics are the next stage in Welsh Government’s commitment to bringing care closer to home and will be rolled-out across primary, secondary and community care settings.

Each year, around 3.1m patients are seen at outpatient departments across Wales. The virtual group clinics will deliver care to groups of people with similar health needs, including diabetes, musculoskeletal conditions, rheumatology and dermatology.

Clinicians will run a session with between 10 and 15 patients on a specific area of their care. This shared care will allow for patients and clinicians to come together for the benefit of all; patients can learn from the experience of others, have peer support and develop alternative strategies to support their own pathways; and clinicians will be able to interact with a number of patients at one time, delivering consistent approaches to managing their care.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has already begun delivering therapy services virtually in a number of areas including Dietetics, Pulmonary Rehabilitation and especially Speech and Language Therapy. 

Feedback has been positive from both patients and staff to the virtual approach, who have said the technology is easy to use. Patients reported that the service was far more convenient and avoided costs associated with taking time off from work and travelling to appointments. The opportunity to share experiences with others was also seen as a benefit.

Virtual group clinics will provide convenient access to support and advice for those who maybe self-isolating, have mobility issues or are housebound. They will also help those who may have other commitments and time-constraints, such as unpaid carers and those working from home.

Minister for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, said:

“During the pandemic, we have seen transformational changes and new ways of working to ensure the continuity of patient care from GPs, community health in the community and in hospital outpatient departments. Thousands of patients have already received excellent care via individual video consultations and we can now accelerate our plans for virtual group consultations.

“Wales is the first country to roll-out this way of working across all three parts of our NHS. Our virtual group clinics will lead the way and ensure that people in Wales will be able to access the benefits of medical care and support, whichever clinician they need to see, in whatever setting, from the convenience of their own home.

“Video group clinics will also help us ensure service continuity and resilience, and enable our dedicated healthcare professionals to deliver care and advice in a rewarding, safe and supportive way which provides long-term benefits to the NHS here in Wales.”

In partnership with NHS Wales and Welsh Government, Redmoor-ELC are co-ordinating and delivering the virtual developments and technical support required for over 250 clinical teams to use the video group clinics securely and safely.

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