Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) has implemented a new NHS Wales Engagement Process to strengthen how we work with Health Boards and NHS Trusts across Wales. We developed a guidance document for organisations, which outlines the new engagement model, our expectations, engagement structure, and how organisations can work with us to ensure safe, effective, and person-centred care.
Rationale for change
Following a review of our Relationship Manager (RM) engagement model, we identified some inconsistencies with the engagement process, oversight, and intelligence sharing. The new process introduces a team-based model that will ensure:
- Consistent and reliable communication
- Stronger collaborative relationships
- Strengthen organisational intelligence
- Proactive assurance and planning of our assurance programme
Expectations for Health Boards and NHS Trusts
Organisations are expected to:
- Participate in strategic and routine engagement meetings
- Transparently share timely and accurate information to support our assurance work
- Demonstrate compliance with the Duty of Quality under the Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) Act 2020
- Foster continuous learning and improvement cultures, and demonstrate leadership and accountability
- Engage stakeholders to inform service design and improvement
- Ensure healthcare staff are aware of and respect HIW’s authority to inspect and access relevant information in line with key legislation.
Engagement meetings
Structured meetings will be held regularly with key executives, clinical leads and with some independent members of the Board. These meetings will be intelligence-led and focus on, but not limited to:
- Patient safety
- Governance and leadership
- Quality
- Fragility of services
- Strategic planning
Meeting outcomes will be documented and shared with relevant stakeholders.
Correspondence and information sharing
To maintain consistency across organisations and the security of confidential information, HIW will send inspection-related correspondence to designated recipients only. These include Chief Executives, Chairs, key clinical Executive Directors, and a nominated governance team mailbox. Other communications, such as concerns or ad hoc queries, will be directed to appropriate individuals or teams where appropriate.
Contacting HIW
Depending on the nature of your enquiry, NHS wales organisations should contact the relevant HIW team highlighted within the guidance document, or visit our Contact Us page for full details.