Our Strategy and Operational Plan

We will focus on the biggest risks facing people and communities as they access healthcare services now and in the future.

What we will do: 

• Better understand lived experience throughout the patient journey, including care access, quality, and how well services work together.
• Improve how we carry out and report our work to make it easier for services to learn and take action.
• Research and apply inclusive and innovative methods to engage with the public, healthcare staff, and partner organisations.
• Improve how we use and share intelligence on patient risks across our teams to inform our assurance work.
• Proactively challenge inequalities and ensure people’s voices shape our work and the future of healthcare.
• Strengthen public awareness of our role, powers, and purpose, ensuring people know how to contact us and what to expect when they do.

We will collaborate with partners to share learning and drive lasting improvements.

What we will do:

• Build strong, effective partnerships to share insights and support improvement across healthcare services.
• Collaborate with others to address national issues impacting healthcare.
• Follow up on our work in a timely way to ensure our findings drive improvement.
• Plan and deliver an intelligence-led programme of reviews-based work that reflects healthcare priorities and focuses on what matters most to people.
• Ensure patients, carers and frontline healthcare staff are actively involved in our work, including planning, delivery and evaluation.

We will ensure our people feel supported, valued, and empowered.

What we will do:

• Embrace innovation and adoption of digital tools to increase our impact and efficiency.
• Create a culture of reflection and learning, where we challenge ourselves to continually improve.
• Measure the impact of internal changes to ensure they lead to meaningful improvements for our people and the way we work.
• Provide clearer development pathways and ensure our staff have the tools they need to work effectively.
• Build on the implementation of our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy, supporting an inclusive culture.

We will take action to improve the quality and safety of healthcare for the future of Wales.

What we will do:

• Regulate and inspect healthcare services using clear, fair, and innovative methods.
• Take decisive enforcement action when care falls short, holding providers to account.
• Review and adapt our assurance methods to reflect the needs of a modern, evolving healthcare system.
• Strengthen how we listen and respond to concerns, including through our whistleblowing channels, to protect people and support improvement.
• Publish clear information about what action we have taken and the impact it has achieved.