Slaughter then revealed he had undergone serious surgery himself during the summer recess, describing the fear and uncertainty he felt in the hours before entering the operating theatre. “Over the summer, I experienced the reality of what prepping for surgery entailed, the physical and mental stress,” he said.
“When I walked onto that silent ward at 05:00 in the morning, the wave of emotion I felt is difficult to put into words, the silence of the sleeping ward, the uncertainty, the fear.”
The Green Party leader said a key difference was that he had confidence in the healthcare professionals treating him and trusted that the system was working in his best interests. “Now, for some, that trust has been broken,” he said.
“To think that, today, right here in Wales, we have a system that, for a certain group of people, is felt to be actively working in opposition to their well-being is a terrifying thought.”