Mark Drakeford, Minister for Health and Social Services
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
An independent review of the care of frail and older people at the Princess of Wales and Neath Port Talbot hospitals was carried out between December 2013 and April 2014 following allegations of poor standards of care.
Trusted to Care, by Professor June Andrews, director of the Dementia Services Development Centre, at the University of Stirling and Mark Butler, director of the People Organisation, was published on May 13, 2014. It identified a number of concerns about the quality of care and patient safety on some of the wards in the two hospitals and about some clinical and managerial processes at Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board.
To ensure similar concerns about care were not present in other Welsh district general hospitals, a programme of unannounced independent spot checks was carried out on wards caring for older people to test standards of care. The results of these spot checks have already been published. This programme of spot checks was subsequently extended to mental health wards caring for older people.
Trusted to Care recommended that a follow-up review be carried out 12 months later – this will take place in July. Professor Andrews and Mr Butler have agreed to return to Wales to carry out this piece of work. The review will focus on the extent to which progress has been achieved since Trusted to Care was published and the impact on how this is leading to improved quality of care within both Princess of Wales and Neath Port Talbot hospitals. I will receive a report in September.
This will be published together with a report detailing the work the Trusted to Care steering group has been leading, which includes how the learning from the unannounced spot checks has been taken forward to improve the quality of care being provided throughout Wales.