Written question WQ96829
- Asked by
- Delyth JewellPlaid
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 3 days
Question
What action is the Welsh Government taking to create a dedicated specialist hepato-pancreato-biliary centre for patients in South Wales East?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The Welsh Government encouraged NHS organisations in South Wales to consider the optimal service model for hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) services. They developed a service specification for an integrated HPB service and the two principal health boards involved established a project to improve service provision and to make recommendations on the location of an integrated HPB centre for South Wales.
The project’s final report led to a service model programme being established to take forward the recommendations in three phases. While there is clinical support for a single centre, the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee determined it was not able to progress this in 2025-26.
Health boards remain responsible for the treatment of common conditions affecting the pancreas and liver. People who need more complex treatments receive them at the appropriate expert centre. Radiotherapy and systemic anti-cancer therapy is arranged through the regional cancer centres, while most liver surgery is provided at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, and most pancreatic surgery at Swansea Bay University Health Board. Specialist centres work with other clinical teams in the South Wales health boards to manage disease to ensure people receive high-quality care.