£170m a year to be invested in planned care across NHS Wales
It comes on top of an extra £25m a year for emergency departments
NHS Wales' planned care services will get £170m extra per year, the Health Minister has pledged.
Wales' Minister for Health and Social Services Eluned Morgan announced the annual investment at the first Planned Care Summit.
She hopes the move will 'build a planned care system that is bigger, better and more effective than we have seen before.'
Planned care is any form of non-emergency treatment that usually involves a prearranged appointment, with most patients being referred by their GP.
The funding will primarily go towards endoscopy, cataract, orthopaedic and diagnostic and imaging services, with some of the funds being allocated to cancer and stroke services.
It comes on top of the £25m extra per year for emergency departments that was announced in July and the £248m that was invested into Wales' Covid recovery fund.
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NHS Wales chief executive Judith Paget will speak at the inaugural Planned Care Summit, and lay out the Government's five aims to transform care in Wales, which are as follows:
- Effective referrals into secondary care
- Access to specialist advice and guidance for primary care and paramedics
- Treat accordingly by ensuring that all care pathways are fit for purpose
- Follow ups to encourage individuals to manage their own conditions
- Measure what is important when looking at waiting lists
She said: “We have provided an investment of £248m to support the acceleration of planned care recovery during this financial year.
"We are making an extra £170m a year available to health boards for them to radically transform and fundamentally change how planned care is delivered".
Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “The impact of the pandemic on planned care has been significant, resulting in a massive backlog of patients waiting for planned treatments.
"There are, we fear, also many patients who are yet to present to primary care with their illness.
“We need a whole system approach to how care is delivered and by investing £248m in Covid recovery, £170m in planned care and £42million in social care, we hope to put NHS Wales in a stronger position for future generations."
See how the £170m in planned care funding will be allocated to health boards in Wales:
Aneurin Bevan: 32
Betsi Cadwaladr: 38.4
Cardiff and Vale 22.6
Cwm Taf 26.1
Hywel Dda 21.7
Powys 7.5
Swansea Bay 21.6
Total: 170m