7. How is the Welsh Government using digital technology to reduce NHS waiting times for patients across Bridgend? OQ59062

Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, as with other health boards in Wales, is adopting and using modern technology across all its sites, including Bridgend, to see and support patients in the most appropriate way.

So, some good news: I'm very proud and pleased to say that the trauma and orthopaedic department at the Princess of Wales Hospital at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board won a MediWales innovation award at the end of 2022 in the NHS Wales 'working with industry' award category. The award was won by mymobility, which is a healthcare digital application that patients download to their smartphones, and then it sends them customisable prehabilitation and post-surgery rehabilitation videos and guides where people have hip and knee replacements.

Not only did our Bridgend Princess of Wales Hospital team win the award, but mymobility is part of a global medical tech leader, Zimmer Biomet, which has its medical supply factory also in Bridgend and provides skilled, fair work, unionised jobs for the constituents across my community, as well as Huw Irranca-Davies's Ogmore constituency. Also, I wanted to say 'thank' you to our health Minister, who visited them with us last year. Dr Kotwal, who is the consultant orthopaedic surgeon who led the project, said that patient feedback has been 'fantastic'.

'We have patients...some in their 80s, who are using the app and absolutely loving it.'

The app also reduces the footfall in the hospital and telephone calls, because they can just communicate using the app, and they want to expand it to shoulder surgeries. So, Minister, how is the Welsh Government evaluating good practice initiatives like mymobility, and expanding across Wales to reduce waiting lists and increase capacity? Diolch.

Thank you. I'd like to congratulate Cwm Taf on the winning of their award. There are a number of similar digital services available in the marketplace, and I know that health boards are working with a number of providers to understand how they can affect service delivery, and that does include a tool that's been trialled under the small business research initiative, which is hosted by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and funded by Welsh Government across three health boards and across a number of clinical specialities. We absolutely recognise the value that these digital services can offer in transforming planned care for our patients, and that, obviously, also contributes to our goal of care closer to home.

I think what is really important is that the digital tools that we do adopt are leveraged on an all-Wales basis, so that they're able to securely exchange data. I think data sharing is so important across our health services here in Wales. We don't want data to be locked away and not shared, so I think it's really important that that data is accessible, going forward. We also need to ensure that patient-facing services are accessible via a single route, and that's the NHS Wales app, otherwise there is a risk—I didn't know there was such a thing—of app fog, when you have too many applications, each for a different purpose.