Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for Health and Social Care has criticised how the Welsh NHS is run under Labour, and says Plaid Cymru will change NHS governance to improve outcomes for patients and to future-proof the service.

Mabon ap Gwynfor’s commissioned report ‘The Welsh Health System: Accountability, Performance and Culture’ says that governance and accountability in the NHS is currently “inherently confused, overly complex and inimical to systematic collaboration.”

The report identified several shortcomings and proposes the following reforms to strengthen the health service:

  1. Goals, Priorities and Planning: simplify healthcare planning and ensure more realistic and deliverable targets;
  2. Roles and Accountability: improve accountability by redefining the responsibilities of the Welsh Government and NHS Executive to stop Ministers micromanaging the NHS;
  3. Partnership Working: closer working between health and social care through efficient resource-sharing;
  4. Capability and Capacity: increase specialist knowledge of healthcare governance in the civil service to improve public health policies and delivery;
  5. Performance Measurement and Management: greater data collecting on health service performance and clearer criteria for escalation measures;
  6. Public and Patient Engagement: empower the patient voice and promote a culture of welcoming comments and complaints to improve the patient experience and public transparency;
  7. Culture: create standardised rules for senior NHS leaders to ensure that accountability arrangements are met.

Speaking ahead of the report’s launch today (November 19), Mabon ap Gwynfor MS said:

“Most people would agree that the NHS is not as it should be. People shouldn’t have to wait years for treatment nor struggle to get a GP appointment, and ambulances shouldn’t be queuing outside A&E departments for hours on end.

“Despite NHS funding accounting for half of the Labour Welsh Government’s entire £20bn budget, it simply isn’t being used strategically and neither is the NHS being run efficiently.

“With all seven health boards in Wales in some form of escalation and intervention status, it’s clear our NHS needs a change of direction.

“If we want a health service that’s fit for the future, we need to tackle the root causes of these issues and improve the way the it’s run. That’s why we’ve commissioned a report to look at how we do exactly that.

“From setting more realistic and deliverable targets to improve services, promoting closer working between health and social care, empowering the patient voice to improve the patient experience and public transparency – to redefining roles and accountability of the NHS Executive and Welsh Government, and improving NHS culture. All of these steps would strengthen NHS governance to improve its efficiency, and patient outcomes in return.

“Labour have pondered over what to do with the NHS for 25 years. A Plaid Cymru government will offer the NHS a fresh start – no more sticking plaster solutions and short-term thinking which only punishes staff and patients. It’s time for change.”