Patients who consistently miss appointments with the NHS may face consequences such as being moved to the back of the line in order to reduce waiting times, according to information obtained by BBC Wales. This is just one of the strategies being considered by the Welsh government to address issues in the NHS, which has been grappling with long waiting lists that have seen some small reductions recently. In addition to this, health boards that fail to meet specific targets despite receiving additional funding could have that funding withdrawn, although this would not impact their core funding.
The proposed changes are being presented as a renegotiation of the relationship between patients and the NHS, with an emphasis on patients taking a more active role. To help manage waiting lists more effectively, there may be a push for interventions to ensure patients are in optimal health for surgery, such as encouraging weight loss or increased physical activity before being placed on a waiting list. Furthermore, there are discussions about streamlining the leadership of the NHS in Wales to make it more straightforward and accountable, following previous changes that were implemented just two years ago.
One aspect that is under consideration is the possibility of centralizing the commissioning of services provided by the private sector at a national level to secure better deals, as opposed to the current decentralized approach. While health boards are expected to resist this idea, the government is likely to argue that it would lead to improved planning and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, there are plans to release a wider range of performance data for each health board in Wales without creating league tables, with the goal of promoting competition so that boards performing poorly can learn from the best.
An independent panel of experts was commissioned last October to review the NHS and is slated to present its findings at the end of April. It is anticipated that the panel will raise concerns about the efficacy of performance management within the health service. Health Secretary Jeremy Miles is expected to provide more details on the proposed changes in the near future, as there is a growing sense of urgency to address what is perceived as underperformance despite significant financial investment over the years
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