Overview of activity

Here is a snapshot of the services our staff, and contracted partners, delivered during 2024/25. The majority of patient contacts with health services take place in the community, for example in GP Practices, pharmacies or patients’ own homes. A large proportion of this work is performed by independent contractors (such as GP and dental practices that are run by the partners) or private companies (such as high street pharmacies), under contracts with the Health Board.

The latest figure available shows that in 2024/25 there was a continued improvement in the percentage of General Practices that achieved all standards set out in the National Access Standards for in-hours general medical services. The organisation has gone from being the worst performing Health Board in 2020/21 at 59.8% to the second best in 2023/34 at 99%. This level of performance is expected to increase again to fully
compliant at 100% when the 2024/25 figures are released.

Community pharmacies have also played a key role in supporting people across North Wales, and GPs, through reducing the number of attendances for medication purposes. Last year, 30,900 pharmacist independent prescribing consultations were carried out compared with the target of 27,835 and ranked BCU as the best performing health board in Wales with regards to this measure. Also, the number of consultations by pharmacists as part of the Common Ailments Scheme rose to about 8,000 per month in 2024/25 compared to about 5,000 per month in 2022/23.

Hospital services are directly managed and run by the Health Board. During 2024/25, in our hospitals, we saw:

•  242,705 Emergency Department attendances
•  861,080 hospital outpatient attendances
•  41,254 day-case procedures
•  12,164 planned procedures

In 2024/25 there were 5,606 births. This is lower than in 2023 (5,786) and in line with a declining birth rate in North Wales.