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There is “increasing confidence” Aneurin Bevan University Health Board will improve its performance and be taken out of Welsh Government intervention measures.

Three months since health secretary Eluned Morgan announced the urgent escalation measures at the health board, there are “some early signs of improvement”.

The measures covered the state of the health board’s planning and finance performance, as well as its emergency care at the Grange University Hospital.

Monthly progress reviews are taking place, and once the health board starts to hit its performance targets it must maintain those levels for three months before the government will consider de-escalation.

The Welsh Government said there is “increasing confidence the health board has processes in place to respond to the issues within the framework, and there are some early signs of improvement”. 

Since November 2023, the percentage of ambulance handovers has reduced by 19% at the Grange, it added.

A spokesperson for the health board said the organisation was “continuing to work with” the Welsh Government to address the areas of escalation and had agreed an “ambitious plan”.

This will include “making significant savings in this financial year to make the health board’s services more efficient and sustainable”.

“A programme of improvements is in place to support the urgent care performance at the Grange University Hospital, including weekly monitoring, a focus on ambulance handover times, and ensuring the quality and safety of patient care,” the health board spokesperson added.

“We are also revising how we operate across the entire organisation to ensure all areas of the health board are helping to improve the flow of patients through our hospitals.”