The Integrated Care Winter Challenge set by Ministers, which will run to the end of the year, asks health boards and local authorities to follow a 10-point action plan targeting people who have been waiting the longest to leave hospital.  

Cabinet secretary for health and social care Jeremy Miles said: ‘The 50-Day Integrated Care Winter Challenge and the 10-point action plan will strengthen our health and social care system so that we can help more people to stay well at home and get more people home from hospital when they are ready to leave.  

‘I'm really pleased the NHS and local authorities have constructively embraced this challenge and have prepared to take immediate collective action to respond.'

The 10-point action plan, which is a key element of the Welsh Government's winter resilience plans, includes improving hospital discharge procedures; planning for discharge from the point of admission; ensuring there is proportionate and effective seven-day working to enable weekend discharges; undertaking more assessments in the community; and providing community rehabilitation and reablement to help people recover fully.   

Director of the Welsh NHS Confederation Darren Hughes said: ‘The capacity to support people in communities and the ability to discharge medically fit patients from hospital remains a huge challenge for all health boards and social care partners, due to the immense system pressures. In some hospitals 20% of beds are occupied by patients waiting to leave.

‘The NHS is fully committed to working in partnership with local authorities to ensure that people get the care and support they need in communities across Wales.

‘Record levels of demand on health and care services are not going anywhere and will continue to be a huge challenge with existing resources. Unless the broader challenges of demand and capacity across the whole health and care system are addressed, a 50-day challenge and action plan won't be enough to achieve a sustainable health and care system in the long term.'