Monmouth Assembly Member, Nick Ramsay, has submitted an urgent written question to the Welsh Government Health Minister, Vaughan Gething AM, asking what is being done to bolster the finances and support for local Aneurin Bevan University Health Board given that staff are currently having to deal with roughly half the cases of Covid-19 in Wales.

Speaking today Nick said: “Our local health board is taking the brunt of the outbreak in Wales currently and clearly needs all the support it can get during the weeks to come as predicted cases increase. I have asked the Health Minister to offer further funding to Aneurin Bevan Health Board to help the Board through these difficult times.

“I was also very concerned that Wales only has facilities to carry out 800 tests per day in Wales, and that the contract to dramatically increase testing in the weeks to come has apparently broken down. This is extremely worrying news for our NHS staff who need testing to be carried out far more widely, and especially for frontline staff who need to know who has contracted the virus.

“ I hope the Welsh Government will get on top of this urgently as our NHS staff and support workers deserve priority with suitable protective equipment, sufficient testing and full financial support.”