New group comprising NHS surgeons, nurses and managers to published delivery plan to increase capacity and tackle backlogs by end of the year.
The Welsh government has announced the formation of a new Elective Care Expert Group that will produce a delivery plan for up to 10 new elective care hubs across Wales. The aim is to increase surgical and diagnostic capacity, address NHS backlogs and protect planned care from emergency pressures.
The chair of the expert group, Rhidian Morgan-Jones, is a recently retired consultant orthopaedic surgeon with experience of working in both Wales and England. He is a trustee of the British Orthopaedics Association and serves on a number of national committees.
Other members of the group include Professor Jon Barry, Director Wales of the Royal College of Surgeons; Dr Claire R Dunstan, National Clinical Lead for Anaesthetics; Sophie O’Donovan, Lead Nurse for Anaesthetics, Critical Care and Theatres; and Corrina Casey, Director of Performance and Delivery, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement. Other members will include senior surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists and operational leaders from across NHS Wales.
The group is expected to draw on learning from existing hubs in Wales, as well as from best practice across the UK and internationally. It will make recommendations to the Cabinet Minister for Health and Care by the end of the 2026. The plan will then be implemented and the hubs made operational over the current Senedd term.
Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, Cabinet Minister for Health and Care, says: ‘Increasing capacity for planned surgery and diagnostics and cutting long waiting times by separating planned care from emergency pressures is a key priority for this new Welsh Government. We have already announced £145m of investment to support these aims.
‘This expert group will plan out how many elective care hubs we will need, where they will be based and how they will increase capacity in the system. We want planning for these hubs to be led by the people who know best — the surgeons, nurses and anaesthetists working on the front line every day. Their expertise will ensure we build a planned care system that is resilient, efficient and works for patients across Wales.’
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