Written question WQ98985
- Asked by
- Ken SkatesLabour
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
What proposals does the Welsh Government have for developing the University Hospital of Wales?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Minister for Health and Care (Mabon ap Gwynfor)
My officials are working with Betsi Cadwaladr, Cardiff and Vale and Hywel Dda University Health Boards to understand and develop the long-term plans for their acute hospital sites. These proposals (which will utilise the HM Treasury 5 Case Business model), will need to be driven and supported by well-articulated clinical strategies for the delivery of healthcare to their residents.
In the meantime, officials are working with the Health Boards to prioritise the highest risk estate elements of each site to ensure services continue to be delivered in a safe and appropriate way.
The case for new or redeveloped hospital infrastructure will have to be considered within the context of an extremely challenging fiscal environment, and a substantial NHS Estate maintenance backlog inherited from the previous Welsh Government. As a result of the latest UK Government Spending Review, the Welsh Government’s capital budget is due to decrease by 2.2% in real terms in 2027/28, and by around 9% over the course of this Senedd term. We will continue to press the UK Government for an improvement in our capital budget position, especially as we look ahead to the next Spending Review in 2027.