Written question WQ95060
- Asked by
- Andrew RT DaviesConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 13 days
Question
How will the Welsh Government work with health boards to increase the number of available inpatient beds in hospitals during the remainder of this Senedd?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Health boards are responsible for using the Welsh Government’s planning guidance and expectations to plan their resources, staff and infrastructure, including beds, to meet the needs of their local populations.
The NHS Executive, through its national programmes and clinical networks, supports health boards to design local service models, which will include the configuration of beds.
The Welsh Government’s overarching strategy, which is set out in A Healthier Wales, is to move more care closer to home. An example of how this is being enacted by health boards is by increasing day case surgery rates, where possible, which reduces the need for people to stay overnight following surgery.