Written question WQ98168
- Asked by
- Samuel KurtzConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm what the standard referral pathway is for patients in each local health board area who require specialist pancreatitis care, including which specialist centre they are referred to?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
The Welsh Government expects health boards in Wales to deliver services or collaborate to meet the healthcare needs of their respective populations, including for the treatment of pancreatitis. All health boards provide a local service for chronic or acute pancreatitis, with more complex cases requiring input or care from major tertiary centres. This occurs on a case-by-case basis, and may involve verbal or written advice, or when necessary, transfer of a patient to another hospital. These tertiary centres are based in Swansea, Cardiff and Liverpool. The Welsh Government does not collect data on waiting times specifically for pancreatitis and there is no national clinical audit of pancreatitis care.
At the current time severe acute pancreatitis care is not formally commissioned as a specialised service from specialist centres in Wales. However, some aspects of the pathway for some patients could be considered specialised and suitable for regional or specialised commissioning. Therefore, the NHS Wales Joint Commissioning Committee is working with health boards to consider the development of a nationally commissioned service for severe acute pancreatitis.