Health board shows signs of improvement after Welsh Government imposed interventions

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

The Welsh Government says it has “increasing confidence” that a health board will improve its performance and be taken out of intervention measures.

In January, Health minister Eluned Morgan announced the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board will be subject to “targeted intervention” due to her concerns about the emergency department at the 450 bed Grange hospital at Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran and its finances.

The Minister also confirmed the Welsh Government will provide just over £14 million to extend and redesign parts of the emergency department of the hospital that cost £358m when it opened in 2020.

Progress reviews

Monthly progress reviews are taking place, and once the health board starts to hit its performance targets it must maintain those levels for three months before the government will consider de-escalation.

The Welsh Government said there is “increasing confidence the health board has processes in place to respond to the issues within the framework, and there are some early signs of improvement”.

Since November 2023, the percentage of ambulance handovers has reduced by 19% at the Grange, it added.

Ambitious plan

A spokesperson for the health board said the organisation was “continuing to work with” the Welsh Government to address the areas of escalation and had agreed an “ambitious plan”.

This will include “making significant savings in this financial year to make the health board’s services more efficient and sustainable”.

“A programme of improvements is in place to support the urgent care performance at the Grange University Hospital, including weekly monitoring, a focus on ambulance handover times, and ensuring the quality and safety of patient care,” the health board spokesperson added.

“We are also revising how we operate across the entire organisation to ensure all areas of the health board are helping to improve the flow of patients through our hospitals.”