A new five year vision for the NHS in Wales has been published by the Welsh Government.
“Together for Health” outlines challenges such as an ageing population and more people suffering from chronic conditions facing the health service in Wales and the reforms needed to cope with them.
The document sets out how the NHS will look in five years time with primary and community services playing a major role in healthcare delivery.
Health Minister Lesley Griffiths said: “Sustainability lies at the heart of the Welsh Government’s agenda, and there is an increasing consensus among clinicians that unless we take action now to address the challenges facing the NHS, that safe, sustainable, high quality services, delivering the best outcomes for patients, will not be achievable.
“There is, therefore, a compelling need for change with a rebalancing of how many services are delivered. However, service change is just one aspect of this vision. The bigger picture is the change in thinking and behaviour, with a focus on positive health and improving the quality of care and services based around people, not buildings.
“Overall, health outcomes are improving, with more people living longer. Many of our existing local hospitals were built when life expectancy was lower and mortality rates from the likes of cancer and heart disease were much higher which meant patients needed to be cared for in a hospital setting.”
The Minister said that certain specialist services will increasingly be centralised.
She said: “I have made it clear health services need to be safe, sustainable and provide the highest quality of care. That’s why it makes sense to centralise, where clinically justified, certain specialist services for more complex care that require a minimum number of patients on fewer sites to deliver the highest standards of care.
“The right local hospital and community services will be put in place to enable patients to continue their recovery closer to home.
“This document is not just our vision – there is growing acceptance of the need for change and Together for Health has been developed with clinicians and health unions.”
Together for Health can be viewed in full on the Welsh Government website.