Part of 3. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport – in the Senedd at 2:50 pm on 19 July 2017.
You mentioned their accountability within the NHS and how the NHS itself seeks to better itself through its own governance. You have recently published a White Paper on reforming NHS governance, and real concerns, actually, have been brought to my attention about some of the suggestions that have been made, certainly in relation to the replacement of community health councils with new arrangements and, in particular, the potential erosion of local knowledge, and also a lack of assurance that there will be a continued, real, strong patient voice in any new proposals. But, would you accept that a better way forward perhaps, rather than reforming NHS governance now, would be initially to have an independent review of management across NHS Wales, highlighting and seeking to promote the undoubted good practice that we have, whilst at the same time trying to root out the bad and using that as a basis for new legislation?