Welsh NHS Confederation response to the Ministerial Advisory Group report on performance and productivity in the NHS in Wales

Responding to the final report of the Ministerial Advisory Group (MAG) on improving the performance and productivity of NHS Wales, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation Darren Hughes said:

“We welcome the report and the extensive work undertaken by the Ministerial Advisory Group to produce the thorough, action-focused recommendations. It’s vital there is accountability across the Welsh Government and the NHS, openness about performance and what’s being done and can be done, and strong whole system leadership across the whole of the health and social care system.

“We welcome the report’s recognition of the positive work already being done and planned by the NHS and Welsh Government to improve performance and productivity, with many of the actions outlined already underway. The report includes multiple examples of innovative best practice and NHS leaders are committed to scaling these in line with the Cabinet Secretary’s priorities.

“NHS leaders welcome the fact that many of the proposals put forward by NHS chief executives have been encompassed in the recommendations (see Annex E), and we are pleased to see MAG’s consideration of the NHS Confederation’s recent reports on the change needed around capital investment as essential to delivering the scale of transformation required (see Annex A).

“The report aligns closely with our calls for the 2026 Senedd election, including ‘the mission of adopting a population-based approach to prevention, shifting towards primary and community care, and strengthening partnerships’. The need for publication of data already available is another example of one of our long-standing calls to the Welsh Government.

“While we recognise the inclusion of timescales helps to drive action, implementing the recommendations will require a considerable amount of resource and capacity from NHS leaders, their teams and Welsh Government officials. We must use expertise, resource and capacity most efficiently to ensure value for taxpayers.

“As the report states, despite uplifts to the health budget, health boards have found it increasingly difficult to deliver a sustainable financial position as additional funds have largely been used to support pay awards and unavoidable inflationary pressure and demand growth. This has led to very little spare resource to support service transformation. Therefore, any resource and capacity gaps must be identified and addressed for NHS organisations to be in with a chance of completing the actions set out in the recommendations.

“We look forward to working with NHS leaders and Welsh Government officials to explore the next steps in taking forward the recommendations.”