A series of changes recommended by independent experts in a milestone report designed to strengthen the NHS are being taken forward by the Welsh Government.
Health Secretary Jeremy Miles has accepted the 29 recommendations made by the Ministerial Advisory Group on NHS Performance and Productivity, which was established in October to evaluate the effectiveness of current NHS Wales arrangements.
The review, led by Sir David Sloman, focused on planned care, diagnostics, cancer performance, and urgent and emergency care. It considered ways to improve productivity and performance, including digital and data enhancements and improving regional collaboration. The publication of the report comes just weeks after the Health Secretary delivered a major speech on leadership and accountability in the NHS, outlining plans to continue reducing long waiting times and the overall size of the waiting list in 2025 to 2026.
Commenting on the measures, Miles said:
“The message in the report is very clear: we have a significant challenge in performance and in productivity. The service is not performing at the levels that we or the public need and expect it to.
“That demands a step change in our approach so we can improve the services the public receives, deliver better health outcomes they deserve, and make sure every pound spent brings the best value, as demands on the health service increase into the future.
“But the report is also optimistic. Time and again it outlines the strength of the assets we have in Wales. It highlights the commitment and skill of our staff – clinical and managerial – of good strategy, and often of good practice.”
The Ministerial Advisory Group report, published today alongside the Welsh Government’s response, makes 29 recommendations. These include suggestions for improving waiting list management, removing unwarranted variation in treatment, using national and regional plans to establish sustainable services, and enhancing leadership within NHS Wales. The Welsh Government proposes to accept or partially accept all the recommendations, with work already underway to address many of them.
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