TEC Cymru is delighted to have been recently announced as a finalist of this year’s NHS Wales Awards; celebrating excellence in health and care across Wales and showcasing those whose innovation has made a positive difference to patient care.
Shortlisted in the category for ‘Providing services in partnership across NHS Wales’, TEC Cymru alongside Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) has been recognised for ‘Using Collaboration and Evidence to Deliver Sustainable Patient-Centred Digital Transformation across NHS Wales.’ In response to the Covid 19 pandemic, TEC Cymru delivered a truly collaborative effort in delivering the Video Consultation programme that would not have been achieved without multiple organisations and disciplines combining their skills and efforts. The scale of transformation that would ordinarily take years was delivered over a matter of weeks and months.
Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist & National Clinical Lead, TEC Cymru, Professor Alka S Ahuja MBE, said
“We are honoured and humbled to be nominated for this prestigious award. True collaboration and partnership with our health and social care teams across Wales has made this possible. Many congratulations to all nominees and finalists - we’re looking forward to the awards in October. Good luck to everyone involved!”
Prior to March 2020, TEC Cymru had been running a number of pilot projects with ABUHB, to test the potential of video consultation (VC) instead of face-to-face delivery of services. The intention was to use evaluation to understand if, and how to scale this across Wales. It sought to address the persistent barriers that prevent large-scale digital transformation permeating across organisational boundaries and professional groups, in order to deliver benefits to a wide variety of patients.
However, the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19 encouraged digital transformation of services at scale and pace. TEC Cymru recalibrated its aim to use VC as a safe and secure means to continue the delivery of services. Only through close collaboration with all Health Boards in Wales, an approach was developed that was clinically led, multi-disciplinary, nationally coordinated and locally delivered, to provide a viable, sustainable and systemic shift in the way that health and care is provided.
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 20th October 2022 at The Coal Exchange Hotel, Cardiff.
The NHS Wales Awards are organised by Improvement Cymru which is the national improvement service for NHS Wales delivered by Public Health Wales. For a full list of finalists, please visit www.nhsawards.wales