Ground-breaking projects cutting waiting times and improving patient care across Wales were celebrated at a major health and care showcase in Cardiff.
INNOVATIVE health and care projects from across Wales took centre stage at the Senedd this week as the Bevan Commission hosted its annual Bevan Exemplar Showcase.
More than 40 pioneering initiatives – many already delivering measurable improvements for patients and frontline staff – were presented at the event, highlighting how locally driven innovation is helping to tackle some of the NHS’s most pressing challenges.
Among the successes showcased were projects cutting vascular waiting times by more than 50 weeks, slashing cancer referral delays, and saving thousands of pounds by preventing avoidable emergency hospital admissions from care homes.
The Showcase brought together professionals supported by the Bevan Exemplar Programme, now in its ninth year. Run by the Bevan Commission – Wales’ leading independent health and care think tank – the programme provides training, mentoring and support to help frontline staff transform services from within. Exemplars are drawn from all seven Welsh health boards and key national health organisations.
Projects highlighted included a care-home based specialist service at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, designed to keep patients independent and reduce hospital admissions, and a gynaecology initiative at Hywel Dda University Health Board that reduced average waiting times for women with post-menopausal bleeding from 178 days to just 29.
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board also showcased a podiatry-led community vascular screening pathway, which cut the wait to see a vascular consultant from 58 weeks to just six.
Pharmacists Liz Hallett and Kayleigh Poulsom from Aneurin Bevan University Health Board presented their project, Optimising Medicines, Enhancing Lives, focusing on clinical pharmacist reviews in nursing homes to improve outcomes and reduce medicines waste.
Liz Hallett said: “Being part of the Bevan Exemplar Programme has been an incredibly rewarding journey. Our Care Home Medication Review project has allowed us to make a meaningful impact on patient care while strengthening collaboration across primary care, complex care and care home settings.”
She added that the programme’s supportive structure and expert guidance helped them refine ideas and deliver sustainable improvements.
Meanwhile, pharmacists Gareth Chapple and Joshua Lau from Swansea Bay University Health Board described how embedding a prescribing pharmacist into a cardiology multidisciplinary team has improved safety, efficiency and patient care.
Gareth Chapple said: “The Bevan Exemplar Programme has provided invaluable support. The structure, visibility and peer network gave me the confidence to test and spread new ideas, and helped open doors for senior conversations that build real momentum for change.”
Speaking at the event, Bevan Commission Director Dr Helen Howson praised the commitment and creativity of those involved.
“The Bevan Exemplars remind us of what is possible when bold ideas, courage and determination come together,” she said. “These innovators are not just improving services – they are reshaping the future of health and care in Wales from the ground up.”
She added: “Their work shows that even in the most challenging times, frontline staff can spark extraordinary change. By empowering people and trusting their ideas, we unlock the very best of our NHS.”
The Showcase also saw two prestigious awards presented. The Professor Sir Mansel Aylward Award for Outstanding Innovation was awarded to Consultant Geriatricians Dr Karina James and Dr Nia Humphrey, alongside Consultant Anaesthetist Dr Margaret Coakley, for their work on the Perioperative Care of Older People (POPS) programme. The clinically led initiative, spanning Cardiff and Vale and Swansea Bay health boards, is transforming elective surgical care for older patients across Wales.
The Dr Daryl Harris Award, presented by Dr Harris’s brother Richard, was jointly awarded to advanced physiotherapist Chris Lambert of Swansea Bay University Health Board for his role in developing the Orthopaedic Waiting List Initiative, and to clinical psychologist Dr Bethan Lloyd of Hywel Dda University Health Board for establishing the Women’s Health Psychology Service.
The event underlined how innovation led by frontline staff continues to play a vital role in shaping a more sustainable and patient-centred health and care system for Wales.
