Welsh Government
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Health Minister announces improvements to children’s specialised services
Mrs Hart said that neonatal services will be provided through clinical networks, rather than the fragmented arrangements that exist at present in many areas, which can result in overstretched units and strain on parents.
The clinical networks will comprise linked groups of health professionals from primary and secondary care and where necessary specialist services, working across organisational boundaries to improve the quality of care.
In October, Mrs Hart announced an extra £4million over the next two years for neonatal services which will go towards funding the identified priorities.
Mrs Hart announced today that transport teams will be commissioned as an additional resource to inpatient services, so that when babies are moved to another unit the responsibility for organising the transfer does not fall on members of the clinical team.
She said longer term goals will include increasing staffing levels, including one nurse for every baby for infants requiring intensive care, and one nurse for every two babies requiring high dependency care.
Edwina Hart said:
In recent years, there has been a significant improvement in the survival of newborn babies, particularly those born prematurely.
This is to be welcomed, but the result has been a greater usage of existing cots and an increased demand for new cots. However, the current configuration of units in Wales is unsustainable. Services have been grossly under-resourced and inefficient.
That’s why last October I announced £4m over the next two years to improve neonatal service provision.
The new standards of care I am announcing today will ensure that care is provided as close to babies’ homes as possible, with rapid transfer to the most specialist care when needed.
An overall increase in cots is needed along with careful planning as to where they are located.
These standards have been developed by people with personal experience of neonatal services, including parents, voluntary organisations such as the special care baby charity Bliss, and clinicians.
I want this process to continue to ensure that the location of services is planned effectively.
New clinical networks and service standards for other children’s specialised services including cardiac services, gastroenterology and palliative care will also be implemented.
Many of the standards for each area will be delivered within a year and it is intended that once the networks are established , performance against the standards will be monitored and audited annually.
Mrs Hart added:
Children and young people in Wales currently experience different patterns of care depending on geography and population characteristics that impact on specialised service provision in their locality.
However it is crucial that although the pattern of care provided may differ, the standard of care provided does not. Developing clinical networks will ensure that all Welsh children and young people receive high quality, equitable specialised services wherever they live.
The NHS reorganisation process, with fewer delivery bodies, will also make it simpler for effective clinical networks to be developed.
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