Following this afternoon’s statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services, Dr Alan Rees, RCP vice president for Wales, said:
The news that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has been placed in special measures should now serve as a wake-up call for Welsh Government and the NHS in Wales. We all know that there is a need for change – but this must be led by clinicians and patients.
As doctors, our priority is excellent patient care. The RCP’s action plan for the next Welsh Government, which was launched last week, calls on health boards and politicians to work with physicians to redesign medical services. Earlier today, the Minister called on Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board to listen to patients. We strongly support this approach. However, we would also urge the Welsh Government and health boards to rebuild trust by engaging with clinicians and staff about the future of the health service in Wales. It is time to stop presenting NHS changes as a ‘done deal’ at a late stage in the planning process –clinical leadership must be at the heart of service reform.
The RCP wants to work with all health boards in Wales to make sure that the NHS adopts a new patient-centred, clinically led approach to service change; that there is investment in rural and community medicine; and that there is a renewed focus on attracting and encouraging junior doctors to train and work in Wales.
- The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) aims to improve patient care and reduce illness, in the UK and across the globe. We are patient centred and clinically led. Our 30,000 members worldwide, including 1,100 in Wales, work in hospitals and the community across 30 different medical specialties, diagnosing and treating millions of patients with a huge range of medical conditions.