HIW is not working effectively, says health chief

AMs heard concerns that the independent watchdog for the health services in Wales is currently not working effectively.
The Health and Social Care Committee were continuing with their inquiry into the work of Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW), on 7 November 2013.

According to Kate Chamberlain, HIW Chief Executive, staffing levels were not adequate to carry out inspections sufficiently.

Responding to a question from Liberal Democrat Leader Kirsty Williams regarding the current HIW testing, Mrs Chamberlain admitted that her “concern at the moment is that I am not convinced that we have sufficient testing to give you that insurance”.

She added: “If we were fully staffed we would be able do a a sufficient amount of testing.”

“We have to get far more value out of the inspections we do”.

Mrs Chamberlain admitted that HIW was not carrying out enough unannounced inspections across Wales.

She said that an unannounced inspection should took place in every community hospital across Wales – every three years; however revealed that this was currently happening every five years.

Mrs Chamberlain confirmed that she would be drafting a delivery plan for 2014/15, outlining what HIW “should be doing and what is the right proportional amount of testing”.

The health chief said that she was satisfied with the “way we are using our capacity” to carry out inspections, however confessed that this had a “knock on effect”, and that she has been forced to “delay reporting on other things”.

Kirsty Williams AM also raised concerns with a follow up investigation had taken 3 years from the start of a case study.

Deputy Chief Executive Mandy Collins admitted that this was unacceptable.

Kate Chamberlain also stressed that the HIW website was “simply not up to the job” and needed to be redeveloped.

She confessed that it didn’t communicate well, was difficult to search and did not inform the public about the quality of services in Wales.

Following a break, Health Minister Mark Drakeford stressed that the HIW was not accountable to the Health and Social Care department.

Mr Drakeford said that didn’t feel “particularly comfortable” in having a view on HIW hospital inspections.

He said: “HIW is just one strand in the broader quality of insurance… health boards themselves have important responsibilities.”

He added: “They’re not on their own”.