Hywel Dda University Health Board is celebrating today after winning a NHS Wales Award at the 11th anniversary of the awards.

A project on “Developing a virtual pulmonary rehabilitation (VIPAR) service model to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities“ won the Improving Health And Wellbeing and Reducing Inequalities award, supported by Welsh Local Government Association.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething, who attended the ceremony, said, “The NHS Wales Awards are a national showcase for excellence and celebrate best practice in improving patient care across Wales. It’s a great opportunity to learn from each other and recognise the inspiring innovation of our NHS staff. 

“Every finalist should be proud to be shortlisted for an award. I am humbled to see such passion and dedication to improving services provided across Wales. This is even more important and of even greater value with the increasing challenges that we face across our health and social care system”. 

Steve Moore, the Health Board’s Chief Executive said: “I’m incredibly proud of the team involved in this fantastic achievement! It’s because of the hard work, determination and enthusiasm of our staff to improve services and outcomes for our patients that initiatives like VIPAR are so successful. Congratulations to everyone involved!”

The Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) service has worked in partnership with Comcen and Polycom to develop a hub and spoke model of delivery using video-conferencing to link the hub (based at Glangwili General Hospital) to a spoke site (based in Tregaron Hall). This new way of working is successfully addressing the service’s staffing challenges, meeting patients’ needs, and upholding the principles of prudent healthcare.

The aim is to add up to another three spoke sites linking simultaneously to the hub site, creating a Virtual Pulmonary Rehabilitation (VIPAR) network.

Health improvements were gained by all participants attending the programme, with comparable results between the hub and spoke site participants. The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score has decreased for both hub and spoke site, and post intervention hospital anxiety and depressions scores have also decreased.

VIPAR has been shown to be a feasible and safe service, popular with staff and patients, and one which both saves money and reduces environmental impact.

The NHS Wales Awards are organised by 1000 Lives Improvement, the national improvement service for NHS Wales delivered by Public Health Wales. The Awards were launched in 2008 to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the NHS and recognise and promote good practice across Wales.

Entries were received from a range of organisations, revealing a high standard of innovative and diverse work that is transforming patient care across Wales.

To read more about all of the winners visit www.nhswalesawards.wales.nhs.uk

Tagged award, health, Health And Wellbeing, Hywel Dda University Health Board, NHS Wales Award, Steve Moore, Vaughan Gething