Sir David Henshaw is a past Chief Executive of Liverpool City Council and has held Chair roles in the NHS including the North West Strategic Health Authority and Alder Hey Foundation Trust Children’s Hospital leading the Board in the building of the new hospital.  He has also been brought in to support a number of challenged NHS Hospital Trusts as an Interim Chair. 

The process to recruit five new board members is currently underway, with new members also expected to commence in post on 1 November 2018.

The Interim Chair and new Board Members will join the five current members of the Board.   A recruitment process for a new Chair will get underway in early 2019.

The Cabinet Secretary said: 

“Natural Resources Wales is responsible for sustainably managing, maintaining and using Wales’ natural resources and I attach great importance to its role and the work of its board.  I am pleased to announce Sir David has been appointed as Interim Chair.  Sir David has a proven track record in providing strong Board level leadership and significant experience in helping organisations navigate transformation.  

He, along with the new Board members currently being recruited, will join existing board members from 1 November.  His immediate priorities will include supporting the organisation as it works to build more effective structures and ways of working, improving governance, building stronger relationships with stakeholders and overseeing the induction of new Board members when they are appointed in November.  

“I would like to also take the opportunity to thank Acting Chair, Madeleine Havard, for all her hard work and leadership since taking on the role.”

Clare Pillman, NRW’s Chief Executive said: 

“Sir David Henshaw’s track record speaks for itself and I look forward to working with him in shaping NRW’s next chapter and in addressing some of our immediate and longer-term priorities.”

Sir David Henshaw, NRW’s Interim Chair said: 

“I am very pleased to have been asked by the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs to take on this role.  I look forward to working with Clare, the Board and all the staff to progress NRW’s delivery of its objectives.”

Madeleine Havard, NRW’s Acting Chair said: 

“Both NRW’s Board and staff will benefit greatly from Sir David Henshaw’s huge experience in public service.  I am also sure Sir David will enjoy his new role, and get great satisfaction from working with the excellent NRW team, who do such an important job for the people and environment of Wales.”

The medical phase of the campaign, now entering its third year, promotes Wales internationally as an excellent place for doctors, including GPs, to train, work and live.

The campaign includes two financial incentive schemes: a targeted scheme offering a £20,000 incentive to GP trainees taking up posts in specified areas [Ceredigion, North Wales and Pembrokeshire], with a trend of low fill rates, and a universal scheme offering a one off payment for all GP trainees to cover the cost of one sitting of their final examinations. Incentives will continue to be available in 2019.

The campaign also highlights a number of benefits for doctors coming to Wales, including an Education Contract for junior doctors, the first in the UK. It guarantees ring-fenced time for learning within the working week to ensure trainee doctors will have access to a wide range of educational opportunities to support their career development. 

Since the launch of the Train Work Live campaign, there has been a significant increase in the number of GP training places filled, including in some of the traditionally hard to recruit to rural areas.   There have also been improved fill rates in other specialities which have featured as part of the campaign.

In addition to attracting GPs to Wales, this year’s campaign will also continue to encourage doctors to consider training as a psychiatrist in Wales; it will also have a focus on supporting the recruitment of medical staff to roles in critical care.

Vaughan Gething said:

“Train, Work, Live is one of our flagship marketing campaigns and I’ve been delighted with what it has achieved so far.

“I am keen we continue to build on its success to ensure Wales has the medical workforce needed not only now, but in the future as well.”

“My sympathies go out to all those who have been flooded over this weekend and in particular to the family of the young man who lost his life as a result of a landslide.

“I am grateful to the emergency services, local authorities, water companies and Natural Resources Wales who worked around the clock this weekend to support those who have been flooded, close roads, evacuate properties and are now working with affected communities to support the recovery.

“Over this Government term we will provide over £350 million investment across Wales to Local Authorities and Natural Resources Wales to reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion.  

“The full impacts of this flooding are still coming in, however we are also hearing reports of where our recent investment has prevented or reduced the impact of flooding. I will make a statement to the Assembly tomorrow to provide the latest update on the situation across Wales.

“Following any major flood event, local authorities are required to investigate the cause and impacts and publish this report.  Local authorities will work with other Risk Management Authorities, including NRW and Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water, to understand the full extent of the flood impacts and what lessons can be learnt.” 

Last year there was a 75% increase in TB incidents on the previous 12 months in the Intermediate TB Area North.

In response to the spike, from 13 November 2018 there will be an extension in the use of additional contiguous testing around Officially TB Free Withdrawn (OTFW) breakdown herds in the Intermediate TB Area North.  

This additional testing in herds with increased risk of becoming infected will result in a doubling of the effort to identify the disease in the area, adding a further two contiguous tests at six months intervals into the regime.

To support farmers in the Intermediate TB Area North during this difficult time, there will be an introduction of Government subsidised “keep it out” veterinary visits for herds which have tested negative to contiguous testing. 

These visits will be delivered by the farmer’s own local practice via specially trained vets and will look at the local disease picture, biosecurity and the farms cattle trading policy and informed purchasing, mirroring the approach used in TB breakdown Cymorth TB visits.

Announcing the changes, the Cabinet Secretary said:  

“The introduction of TB Areas as part of our refreshed TB Eradication Programme, allows us to introduce measures quickly, flexibly and at a local level to drive down the disease and react to any localised increases in disease.

“It is clear from the unprecedented increase in new incidents over the last year in the Intermediate TB Area North that this is not a short term trend and the rate will not reduce unaided.  That is why I am today announcing that we will redouble our efforts and introduce additional contiguous testing in the Area.  On top of this we will support farmers during this difficult time by providing ‘keep it out’ visits for herds which have tested negative.

“We have made good progress toward achieving our goal of eradicating bovine TB from Wales.  The introduction of additional contiguous testing within the Intermediate TB Area North will put us in a stronger position to ensure we continue to make progress towards a TB Free Wales.”

To mark the start of National Adoption Week (15th – 21st October), the Minister for Children, Huw Irranca-Davies has paid tribute to the many adoptive parents across Wales who have made new families with some of the most vulnerable children in the country, and who are supporting them to fulfill their potential in loving homes. 

In Wales:

• More than 300 children found new families in 2017/18 and for one third, this was as part of a sibling group
• 212 adopters were approved in 2017/18. 

However we need more people to come forward in Wales. Currently:

• There were 314 children waiting to be adopted at the end of June 2018
• 63 children whose details are on the Wales Adoption Register have been waiting more than 12 months for a permanent home.

Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care, Huw Irranca-Davies said:

“To mark National Adoption Week, I want to pay tribute to families right across Wales who have adopted a child or a group of children, and all those professionals who support them through the journey. Their dedication and commitment is helping give some of our most vulnerable children a new start. 

“I also want to encourage anyone who has thought about adopting to contact their local adoption agency or the National Adoption Service for advice about the process. By adopting a child, you’re going to help make a real, transformative difference to their life. As a father myself, there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a child flourish and develop. 

“In Wales, we’ve made significant progress in supporting people to adopt children. But we know there’s much more we need to do to provide the right level of support. I’m committed to ensuring we do what we can to put that support in place.”

The Welsh Government, through its Knowledge Transfer Partnership Scheme is helping St David’s Children’s Society (a partner in the National Adoption Service) to deliver an innovative package of support – known as ‘Adopting Together’ – which is being launched today. The first scheme of its kind, it offers tailored support to adopters through assessment, enhanced training and therapeutic interventions, pre and post placement with a new family. 

In addition, the Welsh Government has commissioned further work with Cardiff University that builds on the Adoption Cohort Study.  This is a unique study of almost 400 children adopted from care which evidences a level of detail about early adversity, family relationship quality, child psychological health. This next phase will directly engage with a cohort of families to explore their experiences of informal and formal sources of adoption support in Wales, including child psychological well-being and children’s experiences at school (including additional learning needs).