Developing strategy and long-lasting change
The Second Objective
Draws upon the need for the Health Board to be clear about population needs in North Wales and that services are configured in a way to get the highest value from the resources available to us. In this way the Health Board can provide services that are reliable, more cost-effective, and that make the best use of healthcare professionals. The Three Year Plan document in full, is available here.
10-year strategy
A refreshed strategy for us will provide a roadmap around which to prioritise improvements and clinical service configurations that best meet the needs of the North Wales population. In turn this reduces the risk of fragile services providing sub-optimal services. Taking a structured planning approach will allow us to develop services in an efficient way, getting the best outcomes from the resources available.
Clinical services plan
Clinical Service Planning is necessary to ensure that we are prioritising the right clinical services, in the right way, in the right places to best meet population need. We will be better able to make decisions about Clinical Service provision that are better tested for sustainability, leading to less instances of having to urgently resolve service delivery difficulties and leading to better patient experience.
Commissioning
Reviewing and revising our commissioning will enable us to reset contracts for areas of activity that would lead to a greater focus upon value and quality.
Capital projects
Delivering capital projects to scope, within resources, and without undue delay will allow us to utilise new clinical areas for the benefit of patient care. These include plans for a new orthopaedic hub for Llandudno Hospital. Improved estate is necessary to allow service development and transformation.
Digital, data and technology
Improving our use of digital, data and technology will help us provide better and safer care. We will be more efficient and effective. We will use data and intelligence to make better decisions and therefore use public funds wisely. We will take a user-led approach to service design with clinicians and other users to ensure the service and business change happens and benefits are realised.
Prioritisation
We have an outline Prioritisation framework against which new developments are tested. This is an essential step towards improving quality of care, access to care, and equality of provision. When committing public resource, we must ensure that interventions are supported that provide the highest value to the public of North Wales.
Effectively delivering major change
Applying robust programme and portfolio management skills to our major programmes of change will better support successful delivery according to scope, and avoiding unnecessary delays. This will lead to improvements being seen more quickly.
Strengthening planning
Improvements in planning performance within the Health Board will lead to stronger and more-timely decision making supporting a necessary increased focus upon strategy and sustainable service design. In turn, this will contribute to the delivery of high-quality services that are robust.
Finance governance environment
The Health Board will ensure delivery of a robust financial control environment that complies with best practice in provision of oversight, our control mechanisms both locally and regionally aligned to the required national standards, securing a positive rating following review by Internal Audit with oversight through the Health Board’s Audit Committee. The implementation will ensure decisions taken are compliant with and aligned to that directed by the Health Board and offer value for money for the population of North Wales.
Early identification and support of challenged services
The Health Board expects that by identifying services that are experiencing challenge and fragility at an earlier point, the activity required to resolve those challenges will be simpler and result in less patient pathways being adversely affected.
Strategy
The Health Board is clear that through the development of clear strategy, rooted in addressing objectives built upon population needs, long-lasting change can be delivered to provide high-quality and sustainable services for the people of North Wales.
Electronic Healthcare Record
The Health Board will work with stakeholders to develop and secure agreement for investment in a new Our Mental Health and Learning Disability Service will submit a proposal to Welsh Government for a new electronic patient record this year.
New planned care hub for Llandudno Hospital
Work has started to develop a new surgical hub at Llandudno Hospital that will transform elective orthopaedic services at the Health Board and provide benefits for patients, staff and the wider North Wales community, by delivering a planned 1,900 procedures a year.
Specialising in high volume, low complexity care, the dedicated hub will increase annual surgical activity by providing orthopaedic services away from hospitals. It will reduce the effects unscheduled care can have on elective treatment and reduce the chance of surgeries being postponed.
The £29.4m of funding from Welsh Government will refurbish a vacant ward at Llandudno hospital to create 19 extra bed spaces, two new theatres and an eight bed enhanced recovery / post-anaesthetic care unit.
It is expected that the hub will be operating at full capacity in early 2025. Elective Orthopaedic services will continue at Abergele Hospital until the new hub is built.
Once the hub is operational, patients who need an orthopaedic procedure that require a short stay in hospital could be offered their surgery at Llandudno. Patients will still be able to choose to have their surgery at their nearest general hospital if they wish.