The Health Minister has said the NHS in Wales must move towards a culture of ‘prudent health care’ – not providing treatment where it is unlikely to benefit the patient, or could do harm – if it is to carry on providing an equitable service.
Mark Drakeford said: “There is no choice but change in the Welsh NHS. The only choice is between planned change, in which we attempt to take our destiny into our own hands and shape our collective futures, or change that will happen to us in an unplanned, unpredictable, ungovernable way”.
The Welsh Government wants to embed the principles associated with prudent medicine and health care in the NHS in Wales. They want clinicians to focus on doing the minimum necessary to benefit the patient, for example, the over-prescribing of antibiotics which in many cases makes little difference to the patient and has contributed to a build up of resistance to the drugs. But will it work? And what will it look like in practice?
The IWA gather together some of the key figures in the debate around prudent healthcare’ for a half-day conference to explore the issues.
The event will take place on the afternoon of June 12th in a central Cardiff venue.
Programme for the day
13.30 What is meant by Prudent Healthcare and why do we need it? – Professor Sir Mansel Aylward, Bevan Commission
13.45 Panel of patients questions Sir Mansel about how it will work in practice
14.30 Network Break
15.00 What else needs to change? Other options to tackling crisis:
–How can we increase income for NHS Wales? – Prof Ceri Phillips, Swansea University
– How do we reduce costs and improve outcomes for patients? – Allison Williams, Chief Executive, Cwm Taf University Health Board
– How do we reduce demand? – Sharon Hopkins, Director of Public Health, Cardiff & the Vale
15.00 Delegates vote on their priority areas as part of Bevan Commission consultation
16.00 Q&A with the Health minister, Mark Drakeford AM