WCVA’s Jo Davies and Lynne Connolly share their experience of attending the Welsh NHS Confederation conference.
WELSH NHS CONFEDERATION CONFERENCE
Voluntary organisations play a key role alongside public services, making a significant impact on early intervention and prevention. As services become more and more reliant on the sector, it’s vital voluntary organisations are involved in discussions about service design, care pathways and innovation.
By combining expert knowledge and data across sectors, we can improve service delivery and have a greater collective impact. With all this in mind, Jo Davies, WCVA’s Head of Health and Social Care, and Lynne Connolly, Head of Helpforce Cymru, recently attended the Welsh NHS Confederation conference to fly the flag for the importance of the sector. They hosted a key workshop for the sector and heard from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
IMPROVING NHS PERFORMANCE
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care gave a keynote speech, looking at improving NHS performance and futureproofing the NHS.
Several plans are under way regarding performance improvement.
- Reducing waiting times: Building on existing efforts like the Six Goals Programme and the 50 Day Challenge, Welsh Government has allocated £28 million in funding to reduce backlog
- Data-driven insights: Quarterly data reviews will be conducted across Wales’ seven health boards, identifying best practices and highlighting areas for improvement
- Governance and accountability: The Performance and Productivity Ministerial Advisory Group, chaired by Ann Lloyd of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, has published a report outlining recommendations to strengthen governance and accountability
- Collaboration and leadership: Supporting strong leadership to set clear expectations, establish well-defined roles and responsibilities, ensure accountability for health boards, and foster collaboration
On futureproofing, the long-term focus is on ensuring the sustainability of the NHS in the face of challenges, including shifting population demographics, advancements in healthcare technology, and financial constraints.
The Cabinet Secretary emphasised the need for collaboration across Health Boards, urging the sharing of best practices and fostering innovation. He advocated a ‘Once for Wales’ approach to standardise processes, while also allowing flexibility for local and regional solutions tailored to specific needs.
ARE WE EQUAL?
Jo was invited to present at a session titled ‘Are we equal partners’.
She shared some information from our data gathering work and some of the problems for the voluntary sector working in the health and care system.
She asked, ‘do we really need to be equal partners to work well together and achieve good wellbeing outcomes?’
Highlights from the discussion included:
- The precarious nature of referrals between statutory services and the voluntary sector, plus that the voluntary sector struggles to get referrals from the statutory sector
- Neighbourhood workers and resourceful communities
- The potential for mistrust between the voluntary sector and Welsh Government. When the sector tries to give feedback or influence, they can be viewed as lobbyists
- The power of self-referral – if someone gets a diagnosis, they should get access to a tapestry of information
An offer from the Life Science Hub to support the sector with grant applications and bids.
HOW BRITISH RED CROSS HELP PATIENTS HOME FROM HOSPITAL
The British Red Cross hosted another workshop. It has been making a significant impact across emergency departments with its Home Safe and Wellbeing Service, which has been supporting both patients and staff since December 2018. This service is now funded by individual health boards and operates in seven hospitals across Wales. It is recognised for its strong partnership with the NHS, providing essential support to over 1.2 million people to date. The Red Cross team helps patients and their families throughout their hospital stay and after discharge, ensuring patients return home safely and spend less time in the hospital.
In addition to assisting with practical tasks, such as collecting medication and test results, the team offers emotional support, helps with referrals to community services, and ensures that patients’ homes are safe upon discharge.
THE VALUE OF CONVERSATION
It was great to catch up with Faye Patton from Care and Repair Cymru about the role of the sector in supporting hospital to home pathways and discuss progressing the workshops already held by the Health and Care Project on the topic.
It was also lovely to meet familiar faces from the online world. Dr Tracy Breathnach from Wales Arts Health and Wellbeing Network gave us a lovely wellbeing pack. We also discussed some excellent ideas about exploring research into the value and impact of preventative interventions.
Overall, it was an excellent day – we made lots of helpful connections with people, enjoyed all the sessions, and came away with plenty of food for thought.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Find out more about the Health and Care Project, and read some case studies about the sector’s brilliant work in health and care.