Powys Teaching Health Board escalated over growing financial concerns

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Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) will face greater scrutiny from the Welsh Government due to serious concerns about its finances, Wales’ health secretary has announced.  Video from Senedd.tv

Transcript

00:00I move on to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, NHS

00:05Wales Organisations, Escalation Update, and I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Health

00:11and Social Care, Jeremy Miles.

00:14Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd.

00:17Josh Traw.

00:18For the NHS in other parts of the UK, the health service in Wales is under intense pressure.

00:25Demand for services is at an all-time high, and the NHS in Wales, as elsewhere, is continuing

00:31to manage the impact of the pandemic, both in terms of the backlog of treatments and

00:37in an increase in appointments for care, which people delayed or postponed during the height

00:43of the pandemic.

00:45We have record numbers of staff working in the NHS.

00:48Every day, they provide life-changing and life-saving care, often under very difficult

00:54circumstances.

00:55In the midst of some of the most challenging financial times in the devolution era, weíve

01:02provided almost £900 million extra for the NHS over the last two years, and Iíve just

01:09announced a further injection of funding to tackle the longest waiting times.

01:14Itís part of my job to make sure that the health service delivers the best possible

01:18care and the best possible outcomes for people in Wales.

01:22The day-to-day responsibility for the delivery of healthcare is with health boards and trusts

01:26who have a duty to provide services that respond to peopleís needs locally.

01:32We have robust arrangements in place to assess the quality, service performance and financial

01:37management of every NHS organisation in Wales.

01:41We do this twice a year to determine whether any organisations need additional support

01:46to improve the care they ultimately provide for their local populations.

01:52As Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, I have to take significant decisions

01:57about whether NHS organisations need additional support and oversight from the Welsh Government

02:04to improve care and outcomes in line with the escalation and intervention arrangements.

02:11The NHS Wales oversight and escalation framework sets out the process by which the Welsh Government

02:17maintains oversight of NHS bodies and gains assurance across the system.

02:24Following the latest detailed assessment process, I am today setting out some changes to the

02:30escalation levels of health organisations.

02:35There have been significant improvements in child and adolescent mental health services

02:40at Cwm Taf Morganwg University Health Board.

02:43It has met the de-escalation performance criteria for the latest three months for CAMHS, which

02:51means that the service can be de-escalated in line with the escalation framework one

02:57level from level 4 to level 3.

03:01We will work with the health board to agree the sustainable improvements needed prior

03:07to consideration for further de-escalation.

03:12The health board also achieved an in-year balanced financial position last year and

03:16has an approved balanced three-year integrated medium-term plan and made significant progress

03:23against the de-escalation criteria.

03:27The health board will remain at level 3 for finance, strategy and planning whilst we consider

03:32if this progress can be sustained into the second half of the year.

03:39The health board will also remain at level 4 for urgent and emergency care, cancer and

03:44planned care performance.

03:46We have seen some progress in these areas, but they are not yet sufficient nor sustained

03:52enough to be considered for de-escalation.

03:56We will continue to provide ongoing support to Cwm Taf Morganwg University Health Board

04:02to continue the improvements and I want to thank the staff for their hard work.

04:07Did I turn now to Swansea Bay University and Powys Teaching Health Boards, where we need

04:14to increase the level of support because of the growing financial deficits both organisations

04:21are reporting.

04:22Therefore, I have taken the decision to escalate both health boards to level 4, previously

04:30known as targeted intervention, for finance, strategy and planning.

04:36Swansea Bay University Health Board will also remain at level 4 for performance and outcomes

04:43and at level 3 for maternity and neonatal services.

04:48Despite progress being made in some areas, there are no changes to the escalation levels

04:54of the other NHS organisations at this stage.

04:58This means all NHS trusts and strategic health authorities remain at level 1.

05:06Aneurin Bevan University Health Board remains at level 4 for finance, strategy and planning

05:11and at level 3 for urgent and emergency care performance at the Grange University Hospital.

05:18Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board remains at level 5 in special measures.

05:23We have agreed the de-escalation criteria it must meet to move to level 4 and today

05:28we've published the latest progress report on our website.

05:33Cardiff and Vale University Health Board remains in level 3 for finance, strategy and planning

05:39and Hywel Dda University Health Board is in level 4.

05:44The escalation levels of all NHS organisations are published on the Welsh Government website.

05:49Dirprwy Lywydd, these decisions have not been taken lightly.

05:54Escalation is not a form of punishment.

05:56It is the best way to support these NHS organisations to improve the quality of service and care

06:04people receive in Wales from the health service in their local area and ultimately their outcomes.

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