Performance overview
The 2024/25 reporting year has been a pivotal period for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, marked by both significant progress and ongoing challenges. This time last year, the Health Board set out a plan to improve performance across a number of areas that were placed in to the highest level of escalation – Special Measures by the Welsh Government. This plan aimed to address issues around governance and leadership and provide a solid foundation from which the Health Board could then focus its efforts on effectively improving its performance. A lot has changed and good progress made over the last two years with the establishment of a new Board, governance structure, change portfolio, operating model, culture and strategy. The initial challenge was the appointment and induction of a new Board, led by a new Chair and Chief Executive who have now been in substantive posts since early in 2024. This determined the initial focus and priorities. This was supported by successful recruitment of a full complement of Independent Members and improvement was reflected in the latest Audit Wales evaluation of Board effectiveness. Since then, the Health Board has worked hard on the priorities set by Welsh Government, making progress against the associated de-escalation criteria with support from the Welsh Government. In 2024/25, the Special Measures actions were incorporated into the Health Board’s Annual Delivery Plan in order to have a single plan for the organisation that encompassed all of its priorities. This evolution saw the maturing nature of the Board take shape with a well-functioning Board turning into longer-term ambitions to build an effective organisation. During this time improvements have been made across a number of areas including the way the Board is led, financial management, governance and quality of care processes.
Other highlights of the past year include:
Progress in planned care recovery, urgent and emergency care, and public health priorities
Investment in infrastructure, including a new orthopaedic hub at Llandudno Hospital
Developed plans for digital innovations, including a successfully funded business case for electronic health records in mental health services
Introduction of robotic-assisted knee surgery
Welcoming the first cohort of students to the North Wales Medical School
Submitting a financially-balanced Integrated Medium Term Plan (IMTP) for the first time
Strengthened partnerships across the health and care system
Whilst a lot of progress has been made in building the necessary foundations for the organisation to be successful in the long-term, much of this work will take time to fully embed and get right. The Health Board fully recognises that while getting this foundation right is fundamental to driving forward improvement, people are still waiting too long too often to get the care and support they need. It is crucial our communities have access to the quality of service and support they expect and deserve and now this is where we are focusing our attention.
The Health Board recognises the challenges to building a sustainable organisation for the long-term whilst also addressing some of the shorter-term performance issues. Whilst this will always be difficult to balance, a lot of the organisational building blocks are now in place to support addressing both in parallel. This is the only way the organisation will successfully deliver on its purpose to improve health and wellbeing and provide excellent care to the people of North Wales. The Health Board is now working with our partners, as well as listening to and learning from the experiences of our patients and communities, to develop the plans we need to develop and deliver high quality, sustainable services for the future.