Healthcare in Wales

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الموسوعة الحرة

Map of the seven local health boards; Betsi Cadwaladr (north), Hywel Dda (west), Powys (mid), Swansea Bay (south-west), Cwm Taf (south-central), Aneurin Bevan (south-east), Cardiff and Vale (southernmost).

Healthcare in Wales is mainly provided by the Welsh public health service, NHS Wales. NHS Wales provides healthcare to all permanent residents that is free at the point of need and paid for from general taxation. Health is a matter that is devolved, and considerable differences are now developing between the public healthcare systems in the different countries of the United Kingdom, collectively the National Health Service (NHS).[1] Though the public system dominates healthcare provision, private health care and a wide variety of alternative and complementary treatments are available for those willing to pay.[2][3]

The largest hospital in the country is usually the University Hospital of Wales hospital, however the temporary Dragon's Heart Hospital set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales was larger, and is the second largest hospital in the United Kingdom.[4]

Unlike in England, NHS prescriptions are free to everyone registered with a GP in Wales (although those on low incomes, under 18, and under 60 do get prescriptions for free in England).[5]

Initially administered by the UK Government, since 1999 NHS Wales has been funded and managed by the Welsh Government.[6]

NHS trusts and health boards

Before 2009, Wales was divided into 10 NHS trusts and 22 local health boards:[7] The ten NHS trusts were:

Current healthboards

Wales is now divided into 7 local health boards and 3 NHS trusts:[8]

تتولى مؤسسة خدمات الإسعاف الويلزية التابعة لهيئة الخدمات الصحية الوطنية إدارة جميع خدمات الإسعاف في ويلز من مقرها في دينبيشير .

الرعاية الصحية الأولية

أُفيد بأن خدمات الطوارئ خارج ساعات العمل في شمال وغرب ويلز قد وصلت إلى "نقطة حرجة" في أبريل 2019. واضطرت الخدمات في مستشفى ويذيبوش العام في بيمبروكشاير ومستشفى الأمير فيليب في كارمارثينشاير إلى الإغلاق خلال عطلة نهاية الأسبوع 30/31 مارس. [ 9 ] وخلال عام 2018، كان هناك ما لا يقل عن 146 نوبة رعاية عاجلة في ويلز لم يكن فيها طبيب عام واحد يعمل في خدمة الطوارئ خارج ساعات العمل . [ 10 ]

الصيدليات

توجد خطط لتعزيز دور الصيادلة المجتمعيين في ويلز. وتتضمن هذه الخطط، التي كلفت بها حكومة ويلز وأعدتها اللجنة الصيدلانية الويلزية، دمج الصيادلة المستقلين في جميع الصيدليات المجتمعية مع عيادات الأطباء العامين للوصول إلى سجلات المرضى. سيتيح ذلك توسيع نطاق خدمة الأمراض الشائعة، التي تُمكّن الصيادلة من علاج 26 مرضًا شائعًا، مثل جفاف العين وعسر الهضم وقروح البرد، كما سيتمكن الصيادلة من إحالة المرضى لإجراء الفحوصات. [ 11 ] قدمت 702 صيدلية في ويلز ما مجموعه 43,158 استشارة لخدمة الأمراض الشائعة في الفترة 2018/2019، أي أكثر من ضعف العدد في العام السابق. وفي مايو 2019، كانت 97% من الصيدليات في البلاد تقدم هذه الخدمة. [ 12 ]

بدأت خدمة تجريبية لفحص وعلاج التهاب الحلق في 70 صيدلية مجتمعية في منطقتي كوم تاف وبيتسي كادوالادر التابعتين لمجلس الصحة المحلي في نوفمبر 2018. يقوم الصيادلة بإجراء مسحة لتحديد ما إذا كان التهاب الحلق ناتجًا عن عدوى فيروسية أو بكتيرية. لم تتطلب سوى 20% من الحالات وصفة طبية للمضادات الحيوية. [ 13 ]

الخدمات المجتمعية

في أبريل 2019، أعلن فوغان غيثينغ عن تخصيص صندوق بقيمة 11 مليون جنيه إسترليني لتطوير خدمات الرعاية الصحية والاجتماعية في شمال ويلز. سيعمل أخصائيو الصحة النفسية مع فرق الإسعاف وفي غرف عمليات الشرطة ومقاهي الأزمات، كما سيتم تطوير أماكن إقامة آمنة وخدمات علاج منزلي مُعززة. وسيتم تعزيز خدمات التدخل المبكر للأطفال وكبار السن. [ 14 ]

إحصاءات الرعاية الصحية

أوقات الانتظار

Healthcare wait times for patients in Wales are longer than wait times for their English counterparts. Specifically, an analysis by a UK based independent health think tank Nuffield Trust, found that "Patients in Wales have been more likely than their Scottish or English counterparts to wait four hours in every single month since 2012 [to 2021]" [15] However, they also note that "they fared better than those who turned to the struggling Northern Irish health care system."

Two potential causes for longer wait times in Wales follow:

  • "Firstly, although the Welsh NHS receives more money than the English NHS per patient, this may not be enough more to account for an older population with a higher mortality rate."[15]
  • "A second reason may be that the NHS in Wales is less efficient or less focused on delivering timely care. While it may be influenced by the kinds of procedures people need, length of stay data appears to suggest that Wales is taking much longer to get patients treated and safely discharged."[15]

In January 2026 the NHS Wales app added a functionality that allowed patients to track their place on waiting lists. Sarah Murphy, the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing at the time, explained that the app update was part of a commitment to make wait times in Wales more transparent.[16][17]

Quality of Care

Among patients who get care in the Wales healthcare system, satisfaction is reasonably high.

  • According to the National Survey for Wales results for 2021/22:
    • "72% of adults reported good or very good general health."[18][19]
    • "86% of survey respondents who had recently used health services were very or fairly satisfied with the care from their GP and 95% were satisfied with the care received at their last NHS hospital appointment."[18][19]

General Health

Obesity continues to plague the people of Wales. "The percentage of adults who are overweight or obese continues to rise, reaching 62% in 2021/22. Rates are highest among men and those living in more deprived areas."[18][19]

Coronavirus outbreak

The Welsh healthcare system has been particularly impacted by the outbreak of Coronavirus in early 2020. This has been exacerbated by the fact the Welsh population is, according to Nuffield Trust research, on average "older, sicker and more deprived than the English population – so its NHS has to work harder".[20]

The Welsh Government made specific changes to healthcare in Wales to deal with the outbreak, including cancelling elective operations,[21] building the UK's second largest hospital at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, and approving the "COVID emergency ventilator", a device designed by a medical consultant based in Ammanford.[22] Nonetheless, Wales in late March had the largest local outbreak in the UK, centred around the Aneurin Bevan Health Board in Newport which saw a higher number of cases per 1,000 people than any other city including London.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑NHS now four different systemsBBC 2 January 2008
  2. ↑Peregrine, Chris (29 January 2019). "Here is why people choose private health care for life-changing operations". walesonline. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  3. ↑"Health centres in Wales | Find a health centre | Bupa UK". www.bupa.co.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  4. ↑CVUHB, Cardiff & Vale University Health Board- (20 January 2017). "NHS Wales | Staff at Wales' biggest hospital reveal how flu is impacting wards". www.wales.nhs.uk. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  5. ↑"Free prescriptions". GOV.WALES. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  6. ↑"One NHS, or Many? The National Health Service under Devolution | The Political Studies Association (PSA)". One NHS, or Many? The National Health Service under Devolution | The Political Studies Association (PSA). Archived from the original on 31 October 2019. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  7. ↑SmartHealthcare.com (2 October 2009). "Wales merges health trusts into boards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  8. ↑Health in Wales: Structure NHS Wales. Retrieved 10 October 2019
  9. ↑"Wales out-of-hours services at 'crisis point' as providers unable to cover weekends". Pulse. 10 April 2019. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  10. ↑"GP crisis left a million patients without doctor on call over weekends and evenings in 2018". Independent. 3 May 2019. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  11. ↑"All community pharmacies in Wales to have an independent prescriber as part of long-term plan for Welsh pharmacy". Pharmaceutical Journal. 23 May 2019. Archived from the original on 8 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  12. ↑"Number of common ailments consultations per pharmacy nearly doubles in 2018/2019". Pharmaceutical Journal. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  13. ↑"Pharmacy sore throat test-and-treat service prescribes antibiotics in only a fifth of cases". Pharmaceutical Journal. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  14. ↑"£11 million in funding announced to bring social care 'closer to home'". Homecare Insight. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  15. 123"How well is the NHS in Wales performing?". Nuffield Trust. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  16. ↑"NHS Wales app now allows patients to track their waiting list place". ITV News. 21 January 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  17. ↑Gosley, Ellie (21 January 2026). "You can now track exactly where you are on NHS waiting lists in Wales". Wales Online. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  18. 123"Health outcomes and experience in the healthcare system – Welsh Government assessment | Human Rights Tracker". humanrightstracker.com. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  19. 123"Adult general health and illness (National survey for Wales): April 2021 to March 2022 | GOV.WALES". www.gov.wales. 3 August 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
  20. ↑"Fact or Fiction? The Welsh NHS performs poorly compared to the English NHS". 16 January 2017.
  21. ↑"Coronavirus: Planned surgery cancelled in Wales". BBC News. 14 March 2020.
  22. ↑"Welsh doctor designs ventilator that could save thousands with coronavirus". 24 March 2020.
  23. ↑"The locations of all Covid-19 cases in Wales as one area has most in UK". 6 April 2020.