What does it take to run a truly patient-centric integrated health system? What does the Welsh journey with integration tell us about the future for England?
Paul Mears (CEO, Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board) joined Robert Hull (Senior Consultant – NHS Insight & Interaction, Mtech Access) for our live webinar on Thursday 2nd November, to explore the integrated care model in Wales and the lessons England can take from the Welsh experience.
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In this NHS Whispers webinar, guest speaker Paul Mears shares his experiences leading a Welsh health board. The 7 Health Boards in Wales have been operating as integrated systems for over a decade. With the NHS in England just getting to grips with integration, we explore what England can learn from the Welsh experience.
Robert and Paul explore:
- How NHS Wales is structured and who the key decision makers are
- How the integrated healthcare system works in Wales and how this differs to what’s happening in England
- How priorities are set and what shapes decision-making at health board level
- The nuances of the Welsh health system and what this means for industry
- How Welsh Health Boards work with industry and the lessons here for ICBs and industry in England
- Prudent healthcare and what this means in practice
- How industry can best engage with health board leaders, what channels to use, and what messages to bring
About our speaker
Paul Mears – CEO Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
Paul Mears has been Chief Executive of Cwm Taf Morgannwg Health Board since September 2020. Paul is the national CEO lead in the Welsh NHS for innovation and also leads the delivery of value-based healthcare across the country.
Prior to this role, Paul spent 2 years as an independent management consultant advising a number of clients in both the public and private healthcare sectors, as well as digital healthcare businesses. This included working as a Senior Advisor to McKinsey & Company. Paul was previously Chief Executive of Yeovil District Hospital in Somerset where he established the Symphony Programme, designed to integrate care across primary care, the acute hospital, and community services.
Paul started his NHS career in Torbay where he was instrumental in setting up Torbay Care Trust and leading the operational business of one of the first integrated community health and social care organisations in England, as well as working as Chief Operating Officer at Torbay Hospital.
This webinar forms part of our monthly NHS Whispers series, in which we have in-depth, comprehensive conversations with senior colleagues from the NHS. We explore what their immediate priorities are, what they see as the greatest challenges currently faced by the NHS, and how the NHS might respond to these challenges.
Recent webinars in the NHS Whispers series, now available on-demand:
- October 2023: ‘Unmet need in NHS primary care – How can industry best support PCN leaders?’ with guest speaker, Dr Farzana Hussain, GP Principal, The Project Surgery
- September 2023: ‘Population health management: a community effort across health and life sciences’ with guest speaker, Dr Mark Davies, Global Chief Health Officer, IBM
- April 2023: ‘Primary Care and ICBs – what is the next step in the integration journey?’ with guest speaker, Tim Goodson, Executive Officer, Dorset General Practice Alliance
- March 2023: ‘Data-led transformation in the NHS – partnering to optimise patient care’ with guest speaker, Stephen Slough, Chief Digital Information Officer, NHS Dorset
- February 2023: ‘Innovating for better health – research, collaboration, and innovation in the NHS’ with guest speaker, Bill Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer, Wessex AHSN
