Welsh Government's pandemic recovery plan
Responding to the Welsh Government’s health and care services recovery plan and National Clinical Framework, Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation said:
“We welcome the Welsh Government’s recovery plan for health and care services and the initial £100m funding to help the service to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There’s no doubt that Covid-19 has had a significant impact on health and social care services in Wales, especially on NHS staff and wider sector partners, as well as the people of Wales.
“It’s the same dedicated staff that we will depend on to get health services back on track and recover in the coming months and years. We must continue to value and support our staff to ensure they are motivated, engaged and have the capacity to meet the needs of the people of Wales.
“It’s vital that we build on the collaborative, cross-sector working we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, and look at the lessons learnt to capitalise on the opportunity to transform services in a sustainable way, through innovation and new technology. We must always ensure that health services and interventions maximise the outcomes that matter to people, and that health equity is at the heart of everything we do.
“However, it’s important that we all recognise the complexity of the challenge that lies ahead, ensuring we are realistic in our expectations. System recovery won’t happen overnight, and we must learn to live and work alongside Covid-19 for a while longer, acknowledging constraints and opportunities.
“A realistic and steady approach is needed to tackle the NHS treatment backlog if health and care staff are to be protected from burning out, prioritising patients based on clinical need and risk. We thank the Welsh public for the support they have given to the NHS throughout this extremely difficult time.”
