THIS winter will be “one of the hardest” the NHS has ever faced, according to the chief executive of NHS Wales.

Dr Andrew Goodall said the combination of the pandemic along with other respiratory viruses would put a strain on the health service, as he announced the NHS Wales Health and Social Care Winter Plan.

As part of the plan, a further £42 million of funding will be made available for social care, some of which will be used to help ease the pressure on hospital beds.

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This is in addition to the £248 million already announced for the NHS Covid recovery fund – which funding for non-urgent patient transport to help ease pressure on ambulance services, and a £14.4 million investment in planned care in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board region.

It is hoped that the additional investment into social care will improve hospital patient discharges, expand community services and reduce hospital re-admissions among the frail and vulnerable in an effort to ease pressures on bed capacity.

The Winter Plan is aimed at reducing the impact on emergency care and minimising disruption to planned care.

Part of this will include minimising the time spent in hospital for those receiving care and supporting people to return home to continue their recovery.

“We know this winter will be one of the hardest periods we have ever faced, as we face the twin challenges of the pandemic and respiratory viruses, but our Winter Plan will ensure essential services keep running,” said Dr Goodall.

“Our services need to be agile and able to respond to those who need hospital care when their condition worsens, as well as providing support as close to home as possible to reduce their need to attend hospital to receive care.”

Health minister Eluned Morgan said: “The pandemic has put the social care system under great strain and we believe investing in allowing people to access the right care at home will prevent unnecessary hospital admissions, speed up patient discharges and create much-needed additional bed capacity in our hospitals.

“With this plan and additional funding we can reduce disruption to planned care.

“However with the pressures on the system I don’t expect us to make real inroads into waiting times until the spring.

“But I am determined to tackle this issue and am very aware of what a difficult time it has been for those who have been waiting a long time for treatment. Health Boards will continue to support those who are waiting for treatment.”

The key priorities of the NHS Wales Health and Social Care Winter Plan are:

  • Protecting people from Covid-19 through the vaccination programme;
  • Keeping people well during higher levels of influenza and seasonal respiratory viruses;
  • Maintaining the resilience of health and social care services;
  • Responding to the mental health impact of the pandemic;
  • Ensuring vulnerable groups have access to the treatment they require;
  • Supporting the health and wellbeing of staff who have worked tirelessly during the pandemic;
  • Working with health and social care organisations to manage pressures across the system.