Plan for new Welsh NHS body 'disappointing' says doctors group

Eluned Morgan said the NHS executive would not be a standalone body

A doctors group has accused the Welsh government of missing a "huge opportunity" after the health minister said a new NHS leadership body will not be independent.

Eluned Morgan said a NHS Executive will be set up to drive improvements in care.

But she said it will be part of the Welsh government, rather than its own organisation.

The Royal College of Physicians said it was "very disappointing news".

It and 21 other healthcare groups and charities had called for an independent body to take over leadership in the Welsh NHS last year.

Those who want to see a more independent Welsh NHS believe it would allow it to separate the strategy and management of the health service from policy set by politicians in Cardiff.

It is hoped that this could better tackle problems in the service. NHS England, which oversees the planning of the health service there, is independent of the UK government.

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The Welsh government had pledged to established a national executive for the NHS in 2018 to "speed up decision making and make the system more responsive to national priorities".

In a statement Eluned Morgan said she had decided "to establish the NHS Executive as a hybrid model, rather than a standalone organisation".

It will be made up of a small team, led by NHS chief executive Judith Paget, within Welsh government, to "provide strong leadership and strategic direction - enabling, supporting and directing the NHS in Wales to transform clinical services".

Dr Olwen Williams, vice president for Wales at the Royal College of Physicians, said various independent reviews had called for a clearer distinction "between the strategic management of NHS Wales and the delivery of Welsh government priorities".

"In announcing a "small, strengthened senior team within Welsh government" instead of an independent NHS Wales Executive, the minister for health and social services has missed a huge opportunity to improve patient care and tackle the backlog."

Dr Williams added: "We cannot afford such slow progress: the NHS workforce is struggling to cope, thousands of patients are on growing waiting lists and performance targets are being missed daily - it's not good enough to blame this lack of action on COVID-19, when the pandemic didn't begin until early 2020."

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "The new NHS Executive team will oversee and direct a much bigger national resource based within the NHS to deliver the ambitious strategies we have set out and to improve services and waiting times - including those referred to by the Royal College of Physicians.

"It will also be working alongside other national bodies such as Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) and Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW).

"We will be engaging with a range of stakeholders to ensure the NHS Executive proposals will help NHS organisations to deliver the improvements needed."