Thank you very much, Simon. So I'm going to be speaking in Welsh to present this paper and then I'll take questions and answer them in whatever language they're asked. There's a link between this paper and the following paper, on the Strategy, and I'll come back to that in a moment. The headline here is that I'm presenting this paper asking the Board to approve the integrated plan in order for it to be submitted to Welsh Government, noting the process that we need to go through because we have received the remit letter relatively recently and late in the process.
So I'll go through the paper first and then we’ll have an opportunity to have a discussion and questions and answers at the end. As members will be well familiar with by now, the process is that there's a planning framework that is put out to the NHS in its entirety. We received that just before Christmas, and there is one change this year, and that is that the remit letter is in addition for us as DHCW, which sets out our remit for the year with level of detail in that.
And the remit letter this year also summarises the finance that we have for the year. Again, as members of the Board will know, we have more than one source of funding, but they are highlighted and detailed in the letter. Just to remind everybody how the process works, and then I'll talk about the remit letter, which is the thing that perhaps causes some degree of change this year.
I want to emphasise that the work of developing the IMTP is an intensive process. It's a complex process, and there are hundreds of people across our organisation involved in that process. The planning team, led by Ruth Chapman, does fantastic work in terms of supporting and steering all of that work.
But I just want to express my thanks to everybody within the organisation who's worked through this process, and also want to say thank you to the Welsh Government and Welsh Government officials because there are changes that we have made to the process this year that are direct learning from changes that we made to some of our programmes in September, particularly the quarterly milestones that you'll see more clearly in the IMTP this year - that follows work undertaken in August and September with Welsh Government, so that we could respond to that.
And also, I can't not mention, when we submitted last year, the feedback we got from the health minister at the time, Eluned Morgan, was that she felt that our IMTP had been set out very clearly and in great detail and in a very logical and easy to follow way, and an easy to understand way. So we've retained that method of working this year, and we have retained the whole IMTP, which has 80 pages to it, which I think is concise and clear.
So there is a process of workshops and of verifying the plans. There's a process of identifying the resources that are required across our whole organisation. Behind the main IMTP that has 400 milestones, there is a one year business plan that has over 500 milestones and then there are over 2000 applications for resources.
And this is how we get all the teams to work together so that there is a work plan in each team and so that we can understand the relationship and where the reliances are between one team and another. So it's a complex process, but it's a process that works and a process that enables us to manage throughout the year.
And it's a process that enables us to report on a monthly basis to the Welsh Government on the progress we're making against those milestones and to manage change throughout the year, as we did last year, twice, following on from changes at Welsh Government's request. So in quarter one and quarter two, we had to replan and we have the processes in place to do that in a way which can gives you – and us - assurance as a Board and also Welsh Government in a very transparent way.
So I'm very proud – you may have noticed that - of the planning process we have and I think that it's a very effective process. This year we have received a remit letter. And that remit letter sets out to us what the expectations are from the minister and the Welsh Government in terms of what we do. The remit letters are not a new thing.
20 years ago I worked in the Welsh Language Board that used to receive a remit letter, as arm’s length bodies do. The remit letter we have is very useful. I think there is one thing which is unexpected about it, and one thing I want to draw out, which is to be welcomed. What I think was unexpected for us was the level of detail included in the annex to the letter.
So the letter is five pages long and the annex is 27 pages long. It's very detailed in terms of the things that we need to deliver during the course of the year. And the paper that you have before you today shows how we will set about assessing what is in that remit letter - over 180 specific measures - how we will assess those against the 400 in the IMTP in order to make sure that we can change the IMTP so that we can deliver the things that are included in the remit letter that we've received from Welsh Government. What's unexpected, I think, was that it came very late in the process.
On the other hand, what I want to state is that there is a very, very strong alignment between what's in the remit letter and what is in the IMTP. The headlines and the priorities the Welsh Government, or that the minister has set out for us, the areas for the milestones, the programmes, the things that are to be delivered; they're almost exactly the same as what's included in the IMTP.
And I think that that reflects the fact that the IMTP is aligned to our strategy, which is aligned to the Welsh Government strategy. And the remit letter clearly also is aligned to the Welsh Government strategy. So all those things are lined up together. Perhaps that's an obvious thing to say, but from experience, having worked within Welsh Government, it's very easy to be in a situation where there's a misunderstanding or where things move in different directions.
And I don't think that that's the case at all. I think they are all moving in exactly the same direction and they all overlap and intertwine very neatly. Nonetheless, there is work for us to do. The wording is a bit different. In certain cases, sometimes the timing is a little bit different and sometimes what is prioritised and what is prioritised to a greater or lesser extent might be a bit different.
So that's the level of detail that we need to work through over the coming six weeks. And we will work very closely with Welsh government officials to do that. But the paper was drafted a week and a half ago. At the time we'd just received the remit letter - some three or four days before.
And it does refer to the possible risk that there's a big difference between the letter and the IMTP and that we might perhaps to rerun the planning process almost from the beginning. I actually don't think that that is a significant risk or a risk which is now likely. I think that there is an awful lot of similarity and it's about ironing things out, so to speak, so that they are smooth and they come together smoothly and that we have a clear understanding and an agreed understanding with the Welsh Government as to how we're going to be reporting against the remit letter and the IMTP. So I think that that is all praise to us and to our teams that are planning and our strategy reflects the Welsh Government priorities, but also credit to the Welsh Government team that reflects a very close work that's been undertaken between DHCW and the Welsh Government over the past 12 months. We have independently developed quite a detailed plan - or two very detailed plans - but they are almost exactly the same. So I think that that is something to be welcomed and we will now be working over the coming six weeks in order to try to agree exactly how we're going to be reporting.
We have added one page to the IMTP just to describe the process that we're going to be going through in terms of comparing the milestones and then agreeing them step by step with Welsh Government officials. I felt that it was important that we include that in the body of the IMTP because it's part of the process of submitting it.
We submit the IMTP and we want to acknowledge that work is needed in order for us to be able to make those changes. So with those words, I think that (hopefully) summarises where we are currently at. The recommendation from the paper is firstly that the Board approve the integrated plan for 2025-28 ahead of submission to Welsh Government.
And then there will be a need for us to incorporate some amendments to our business plan and also to the IMTP. But we will be managing that and dealing with it through the processes that we already have in place, some of which we have tested with Welsh Government twice during the past 12 months. At the current time, we don't think that there'll be a need for us to rerun the process of workshops in its entirety.
It's just about really melding the letter and the IMTP together in a way which is in a little bit more detailed rather than the bigger picture, because the bigger picture is the same between the IMTP and the letter. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Chair. So this paper today - I'm presenting it to the Board to request members note of the update on the first year of the long-term strategy. You remember last year at this meeting that we looked at the IMTP that we currently have, which is the 2024-27 IMTP, and the new long-term strategy.
We looked at them together and we had a look at how they align. So this paper updates on what we've done in the first year of the long-term strategy. It's a six-year strategy, and therefore we are one sixth of the way through it.
The update is on a link, so it's not actually in the main pack of papers. For anybody viewing today, you need to click on the link to be able to see the document, which is as an appendix. I just want to draw out a few things in terms of what we have done in the course of the year and what we're going to be doing next.
So there are three things that we are drawing out by way of progress in the year relating directly to the strategy and its implementation. The first is the Building our Future Programme. There is a paper that Claire's going to be presenting on today's agenda as to where we are at on that programme. That programme began about a year ago as well, and it’s very important in terms of how we are going to change as an organisation to become more productive, to be more effective, to change our method of working, to change how teams are structured and so forth.
So we've made good progress in that. Secondly, we have established more of a governance framework around our strategies across the organisation. There was a paper at the last public meeting of the SHA Board on the Strategy Assurance Group and how that ensures that our all our sub-strategies line up with the main strategy and also how they keep an overview as to how the strategy is proceeding.
And finally - and the most important - are the IMTP and the business plan for the year. The IMTP is the action plan for the strategy. Last year the IMTP was aligned with the strategy because we developed them alongside each other. But this year I think you'll see more apparently through the IMTP how it's been aligned specifically to the long-term strategy.
The IMTP predominantly provides assurance to the Board, to Board members and our external stakeholders that we're going to deliver against our strategy. That is the action plan that we look at every year. So I certainly feel that the IMTP this year is tightly aligned to the long-term strategy.
I know that the strategy team has been in all the planning workshops, making sure that people keep the long-term strategy in mind, and that that worked effectively. I don't want to go through the progress against each of the priorities included in the paper, I just want to touch on next year - two key things in terms of the emphasis for us next year.
The first is on using the performance management framework. I think again, at the last meeting we had, Claire presented on the performance framework. We've agreed that as a Board now, and we are going to be able to implement that alongside the strategy. against the 20 strategic objectives. We'll use a balanced scorecard.
So we'll use those as part of the framework so that we can report progress from year to year using KPIs and the similar things. So that's a really important piece of work for this year. The second, then, is what Helen was referring to, which is the national target architecture that we have. Again, I gave a presentation on that at the last Board meeting, on the national target architecture. And that's going to be very important to work for us this year. We are working with the minister on a monthly basis on that and with the team within Welsh Government.
Yesterday I gave a presentation to the organisation through some of our Ten Talks. There were over 180 people on the call. So I think that there is a big interest and lots enthusiasm across the organisation to see how that work goes moving forward. It's all part of the long-term strategy.
So I'm happy with the progress that we've made over the first year. There is an awful lot more to do, clearly, and I hope that next year will be a productive year and I commend the update for you to note.
Thank you, Chair. I must say, to a large extent, my question has been answered in the points raised by Ruth and Alistair. I would like to welcome the progression steps that have been taken and can be seen very clearly in this strategy. It's a six-year strategy, we are at the end of the first year. We have 20 strategic objectives across our five missions and there is very satisfactory progress seen here.
The key question in light of the conversation we've just had is at what point will there be a need for us to start refining the central six-year strategy? When would it be appropriate for us to reconsider? That happens in all organisations and institutions and I think it would be a natural step for us to be working into our timetable - when are we going to be reviewing in light of what has happened to one small part of DHCW activity, but in a very important part nonetheless, in terms of our programmes. Thank you.
Can I come back very quickly on that? We haven't committed to review the strategy at the end of year three, for example, because very generally it's a six-year strategy, review in year three. We say that from the outset. We haven't yet done that. What we have done is… this is the first annual report on progress. We will bring them every year. If we find that there's a drift or that we lose touch with the strategic context around us, or that there are major opportunities that are not included in the strategy, then yes, that would force us to revisit the strategy. If we were to receive a remit letter or a specific instruction from ministers or Welsh Government directing us to move in a different direction, then that would cause us to reconsider the strategy because we are accountable to the instruction we receive from Welsh Government.
And as you know all know, I like to be a ‘glass half full’ type of person. If we were to find we had made particularly good achievement against the strategy by year three or four, for example, and that we have more or less delivered on the vast majority of what's in the strategy earlier than anticipated, then that also would cause us to come back and revisit the strategy to see where we could go.
We wouldn't sit back and take an easy time of for two years because we've delivered. We would be resetting ourselves and going again. So I think there are a number of things that could cause us to revisit structurally, but I don't think there's a need for us to do that yet. Not this year, but we will be keeping an eye on it.
Thank you, Ifan. That's really helpful. Thank you.
Thanks very much for that report. My comment relates to band nine as well, actually, and follows on from David's question Clearly there is a downward trend if you've gone from four females down to three and therefore the percentage, of course, reduces as well because the size of the team has reduced. You've identified the problem, so that's the first step, and it's very encouraging to hear that.
Do you have a target, therefore? Clearly you're going to consider what actions or what interventions could be put in place so that the situation can improve... (connection lost)
Thank you, Chair. We haven't met as an Audit Committee of course, since we as a Board met back at the end of January, but we are meeting in 10 days’ time. So what you have before you today is the annual report and it's my pleasure to commend this to you. We've been extremely fortunate that we are excellently supported by the governance team and members of the executive team who attend the committee.
We have seen the committee continuing to mature, which I'm very pleased about, and we have had several very effective sessions, I think. We've done some deep dives particularly into financial matters and some of the main challenges facing us as an organisation. We've met all the requirements of our terms of reference.
Could I just draw your attention to one matter, and that is the matter of internal auditor's reports. It's worth noting that we have had 10 during the course of the past year - thus far anyway - and each one has received a substantial or reasonable rating; there has not been one limited rating. I think that's a matter in which we can take great pride and it's a reflection of the very acceptable performance of the organisation in those areas in question.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Chair. It’s a comment, actually, as much as a question on mission 5. Claire didn’t refer to this but figure of 170 applications for apprenticeships within DHCW appears to be an incredibly high figure, and it’s possibly a tribute to our reputation as an organisation. It’s clear that there will be very many disappointed applicants but I was pleased to see that the applications – some of them - could possibly be considered in other departments within DHCW also. It would be good to know to what we can attribute that high percentage and number of applications? Thank you.
So, Marian, thank you. I think the response was far greater than we had anticipated. The process was run by the directorate management team so it’s Bjorn and Louisa who can take credit for this. They put a thorough process in place; there was clear communication and promotion of the job; a full day of workshops and exercises – that were challenging, actually, for the apprentices. When I got the report from them that 170 people had attended and that there had been a full day’s work for us working with the apprentices, with only one job – or one opportunity available, then we were eager to look, as far as possible, for the opportunity to use that talent across the organisation. So we are keeping that open as an option. As you said, I think it reflects very well on us as a body that we are getting that type of response, but now I want us to be emphasising and capitalising on that good reputation so that we can attract a strong flow of apprentices in, not only to my directorate, but across the organisation. But it’s great. All credit to the teams that have been leading on this with support from Sam’s team and across the organisation.
Great. Thanks Ifan.