How does the Welsh Government intend to work with the national clinical network to increase the neurology workforce across all health boards ensuring services are adequately resourced to meet NICE standards and future demand?
Our aim is to ensure people of all ages living with or affected by a neurological condition have timely and equitable access to high quality services to enable them to live their best lives. NHS organisations are responsible for the planning and delivery of services for people with neurological conditions.
The Welsh Government has set clear vision and expectations for NHS organisations in A Healthier Wales, the National Clinical Framework (NCF), and through a range of quality statements, including The Quality Statement for Neurological Conditions. NHS organisations are supported by NHS Wales Performance and Improvement and its national networks and programmes. These include the Strategic Clinical Network for Neurological Conditions (SCNNC) and the Strategic Programme for Primary Care (SPPC). The establishment of these arrangements and their respective work plans, alongside other mechanisms such as the NHS Wales Planning Framework 2025 to 2028, allow us to strengthen system levers for effective delivery of NHS services and improvement activity. They also support a national strategic approach to service delivery, including opportunities for regional working, as set out in my speech to the NHS Confederation on 7 April.
The SCNNC is working with health boards and Health Education Improvement Wales to establish the status of the neurology workforce; this is key to planning future pathways and models of care for people with neurological conditions. The work to date has been celebrated as an exemplar project across the four nations by the Association of British Neurologists.
Community Health Pathways is a resource available throughout Wales to improve communication, knowledge and education across primary and secondary care. It ensures referrals are appropriate, and that primary care can provide the maximum care to people close to their homes. The SCNNC and Community Health Pathways team are collaborating to develop a range of neurology symptom-based pathways.