A NEW report has called for every stage of Wales’ health and care system to be better connected in order to improve patient outcomes and reduce waiting times.

The Bevan Commission, Wales’ leading independent health and care think tank, has published Chain Reaction: Managing patient flows across health and care systems and services.

The paper examines the causes of poor patient flow and sets out ways to reduce pressure on services, including earlier intervention, better community support, improved use of digital tools and closer working between health, social care and local services.

It identifies seven key areas affecting how patients move through the system: people and communities, primary and community care, social care and care homes, urgent community support, 111 and transport, emergency and minor injury care, outpatient and diagnostic services, and hospital assessment, treatment and discharge.

The commission warns that simply moving pressure from one part of the system to another will not solve the problem, and says whole-system planning is needed.

Tools such as telehealth, digital medicines, virtual wards, social prescribing and quicker responses to falls are highlighted as ways to improve patient flow and help people manage their own health more effectively.

Bevan Commission Director Dr Helen Howson said: “Health and social care services are facing huge demands and we know that we are only going to face even bigger pressures. The population in Wales is living longer, but more unhealthily. We are seeing a doubling of the over-90s and an increase in dementia.

“We believe that health is a shared responsibility, extending beyond the NHS, to include local government, workplaces, people and communities. Preventing unnecessary admissions into the system and enabling people to better manage their own health and wellbeing will be critical to help reduce demand for clinical services.”

The report says prevention and early intervention will be essential if Wales is to reduce the number of people relying on formal care services.

It also highlights programmes such as Education Programmes for Patients Cymru, which helps people living with long-term conditions and their carers gain the skills and confidence to manage their own health.

Where formal care is needed, the commission says patients must be involved in designing services around their needs. It also calls for better real-time data and digital systems to improve communication between care teams.

Dr Howson added: “This paper highlights the interdependencies of all parts of the system and the impact of one upon the other. It reinforces the urgency for whole system planning and transformation, built around patient needs.

“By connecting every part of care, we can reduce inefficiencies, improve outcomes and better meet the evolving needs of people now and in the future.”

ALMOST 50,000 people in Wales are living with dementia, but new research suggests the condition is placing a heavy emotional, financial and practical strain on families and unpaid carers.

Alzheimer’s Society Cymru said the impact of dementia stretches far beyond those diagnosed, with many relatives carrying the burden quietly behind closed doors.

A UK-wide survey of more than 2,000 people, carried out for the charity’s annual Forget Me Not Appeal, found that 61 per cent of people in Wales say dementia affects their day-to-day life.

The research also found that 48 per cent of carers in Wales said supporting someone with dementia had negatively affected their mental health.

Across the UK, 56 per cent of carers said caring had damaged their mental health, while 70 per cent feared the stress was affecting their own health and wellbeing.

Many also said they were hiding the emotional strain from others, with nearly two-thirds saying they concealed how they felt from friends and family to avoid being a burden.

‘Like grieving’

Stephanie Marks, from Llanelli, cares for her brother Gareth, who has dementia and is now living in a care home in Swansea.

She said: “The impacts on us were constant worry, tiredness, financial cost and restriction of our own lives. But we cared for Gareth willingly and gladly. We love him and it was painful to see him slipping away while the system took its time. Like grieving.

“One of the hardest things was clearing his home once he was in care. It was a dismantling of our shared lives. I felt guilty that I couldn’t put it all right.

“I love visiting my brother but I worry constantly about his declining physical and mental health. I feel a huge weight of responsibility for ensuring his care needs are met. He can’t fight for himself so I have to do it for him.

“I wish I’d been more assertive in the very early stages and insisted on better attention when the system failed him. Carers shouldn’t have to struggle for attention and action. Vulnerable people like Gareth deserve far better.”

Fundraising at 100

Stephanie and Gareth’s mother, Peggy Hoare-Davies, who lives in Port Talbot, recently marked her 100th birthday by raising money for Alzheimer’s Society.

Stephanie said: “Mum visits him in the care home. They have activities like Halloween and Christmas parties. When mum was approaching her 100th birthday people asked what she wanted and she wanted to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society.

“Her church put on a party for her and people donated. She ended up raising £1,000.”

Call for support

Rachel Nelson, Alzheimer’s Society Country Manager for Wales, said families affected by dementia often face overwhelming pressures.

She said: “Every day, we see the reality of dementia across Wales. Behind every diagnosis are families navigating emotional, financial and practical pressures that can quickly become overwhelming.

“Too often people feel they’re facing this alone, which is why local support is so vital. At Alzheimer’s Society, we’re here to make sure no one has to go through dementia without help, guidance and someone to turn to.

“Through local services like Singing for the Brain groups, Alzheimer’s Society helps people affected by dementia feel supported, connected and understood.”

The charity is encouraging people in Wales to support its Forget Me Not Appeal during June by wearing a Forget Me Not badge.

The badge is intended as a symbol of the ongoing and often unseen weight carried by families affected by dementia.

Alzheimer’s Society said money raised through the appeal will help fund support services and dementia research.

More information is available at alzheimers.org.uk/forgetmenot

Cover photo: Stephanie and her brother Gareth.

WELSH CONSERVATIVES have called on the Welsh Government to set out what action it will take to tackle antisemitism in the Welsh NHS.

Natasha Asghar MS, the Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care, has written to Health Minister Mabon ap Gwynfor following recommendations made by Lord Mann, the UK Government’s independent adviser on antisemitism.

The letter follows Lord Mann’s UK-wide review and asks what steps, if any, the Welsh Government intends to take in NHS Wales.

Lord Mann’s review recommended banning NHS staff from wearing political badges on uniforms, strengthening accountability for NHS managers, and improving the recording and monitoring of racist incidents.

In her letter, Ms Asghar said the NHS should be “an apolitical organisation, where everyone feels safe”.

She said: “It is incredibly alarming that Lord Mann’s report revealed evidence of routine ostracism of Jewish staff in the NHS, with some leaving, and highlighted that Jewish people are avoiding seeking care due to fear of being subjected to antisemitism.

“With increased attacks and threats against Jewish communities, now is the time to act and the Welsh Government has a responsibility to do just that.

“The Cabinet Minister for Health must urgently outline what action the government will be taking within the Welsh NHS to combat antisemitism.”

Ms Asghar has asked whether the Welsh Government will commit to bringing forward a ban on NHS staff wearing political badges on uniforms.

The Herald has approached the Welsh Government for comment.