Staff Report
Number of Senior Staff
As of 31 March 2025, there were 15 members of the Board, of which five were Executive Directors, three Directors, and six Independent Members including the DHCW Chair and Vice Chair.
Staff Numbers and Composition as of 31 March 2025
Table 1: Breakdown of staff by Group (Figures supplied by Finance and includes contractors)
Table 2: Gender Breakdown of the Board and Directors- Updated as of 31st March 2025
Table 3: Gender Breakdown by Executive Team and Other Employees as of 31st March 2025
Table 4: Breakdown by Gender and by Band
Sickness Absence Data
The People and Organisation Development Team work closely with each Directorate to support and manage the wellbeing of DHCW people and sickness absence. Monthly performance reports are developed for Directorates and Executive colleagues to monitor sickness absence. DHCW offers and provides its people with access to an Occupational Health Service and to an Employee Assistance Programme, which family members can also access for free.
During 2024–25, most individual absences were due to cold and flu, whilst the highest number of lost working days were related to stress and anxiety.
The table 5 below shows the sickness absence levels during 2024/25. The current rate as at 31st March 2025 is 2.9% which benchmarks very favourably across NHS Wales and Table 6 shows the number of days lost due to sickness absence.
Table 5: Percentage Sickness Absence 2024/25
Table 6: Number of Working Days Lost to Sickness
Staff Policies Applied During the Financial Year
All DHCW policies and procedures are equality impact assessed against the nine protected characteristics to ensure they do not discriminate against anyone applying to work at, or currently employed by, DHCW. All policies and procedures are available on the DHCW website.
During the year, additional policies were adopted and implemented, including the All Wales Pregnancy Loss Policy and Polisi Cymorth Colli Beichiogrwydd Cymru Gyfa. In addition, the DHCW Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and the Flexible Pensions Policy are currently pending authorisation.
Health & Wellbeing
At DHCW, we are dedicated to creating a healthy, engaged, and resilient workforce. Over the past year, we have taken a proactive approach to employee wellbeing by introducing a range of initiatives to support physical, mental, and social health. More information is available in the Performance Report.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
DHCW is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace. Our Strategic Equality Plan (SEP), approved in March 2023 and published in April 2023, highlights our focus on anti-bullying and anti-racism. The plan was developed in partnership with staff representatives, employees, and key external stakeholders.
The EDI Network was established in May 2023 and meets every two months to raise awareness, lead events, and support SEP objectives. EDI Network Champions play a key role in promoting diversity and inclusion. In Quarter 4 of 2024–25, the network will be refreshed, welcoming new members, with an updated list to be published in Quarter 1 of 2025–26.
Our Key Commitments and Progress
We have identified five key commitments, guided by our People and Organisational Development Strategy. Below are the actions taken to meet these commitments.
Commitment 1 - Supporting Our People
The DHCW EDI Network represents all nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act. Its growing membership is driving positive changes in policies and workplace culture.
Trained Mental Health First Aiders are available to provide confidential support to employees.
Commitment 2 – Educating and Holding Everyone Accountable
Equality, Diversity, and Human Rights Training – 99% of staff have completed mandatory training.
Anti-Racism Training – 82% of staff have completed the mandatory module (as of February 2025).
WRES (Workforce Race Equality Standard) – A Board briefing session was held to discuss progress, risks, and recommendations.
Equality Impact Assessments (EIA) – On average, three EIAs were conducted each month to evaluate the impact of new projects, policies, and schemes on equality and inclusion.
Commitment 3 – Using Data to Drive Change
Data informs internal reports and supports compliance with Welsh Government equality standards.
Recruitment Data Dashboards in Power BI track applicant demographics, progression, and diversity representation to ensure a fair recruitment process.
Commitment 4 – Understanding Challenges and Barriers
People and OD teams are working to better understand workforce challenges, particularly for individuals with invisible or non-physical disabilities.
Exit Interview Analysis and the Access to Work Programme help identify ways to improve workplace support.
Disability Confident Employer – 8% of the workforce (as of February 2025) has declared a disability on the Electronic Staff Record. DHCW provides reasonable adjustments to support employees.
Commitment 5 – Leadership and Sponsorship
The Board and Executive Team actively support the EDI agenda.
DHCW participates in NHS All-Wales Equality Groups, including the Workforce Race Equality Steering Group and the Equality Leadership Group.
Cultural Events and Awareness Campaigns – The EDI Network planned and hosted events for Black History Month, South Asian Heritage Month, Diwali, and other key celebrations.
Key Achievements in 2024–25
Increased participation in the DHCW Step Challenge, promoting wellbeing and inclusivity.
Successful events, including a spotlight on hair discrimination during Black History Month and awareness sessions for key cultural celebrations.
Interview Support Workshops launched in Quarter 3 to assist staff with promotion and career development.
External audits confirmed continued certification for BS 76000 (Valuing People) and ISO 30415 (Diversity and Inclusion).
Senior Leaders engaged with Welsh Government on Workforce Race Equality Standards and participated in cultural events.
DHCW remains committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where all employees can thrive.
Reporting of other compensation schemes – exit packages
During 2024–25, one exit package was paid or approved.
Expenditure on Consultancy Services
During 2024–25, DHCW spent £0.325 million of its revenue funding on external consultancy services. This represents a 57% decrease compared to 2023–24.
For the purposes of statutory accounts, consultancy is defined as time-limited or ad-hoc assignments involving the provision of professional and strategic advice not directly attributable to activities delivering digital products.
Examples of consultancy services include:
- Accountancy and commercial fees
- Legal fees
- Design fees
- IT consultancy and advice
Expenditure on Temporary Staff
During 2024–25, DHCW spent £1.628 million of its revenue funding on temporary staff, including agency workers, interim managers, and specialist contractors.
This represents a slight increase in expenditure, primarily due to temporary staff supporting the PC refresh and migration work, the Cloud and Data Centre Migration Project, and Vaccine Support initiatives during the year.
Tax Assurance for Off-Payroll Engagements
Following the Review of Tax Arrangements of Public Sector Appointees published by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 23 May 2012, departments must publish information on their highly paid and/or senior off-payroll engagements. The information, contained in the three tables below, includes all off-payroll engagements as at 31 March 2025 for those earning more than £245 per day for the core SHA and any hosted organisations.
Table 7: Highly paid off-payroll worker engagements as at 31 March 2025, earning £245 per day or greater.
Table 8: All highly paid off-payroll workers engaged at any point during the year ended 31 March 2025, earning £245 per day or greater
Table 9: For any off-payroll engagements of board members, and/or, senior officials with significant financial responsibility, between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025
Statement of Assurance
I confirm that there is no relevant audit information in the Annual Report of which the Audit Wales is unaware. As Chief Executive, I have taken all the steps in order to make myself aware of any relevant information and ensure the Audit Wales is aware of that information.
Date:
26 June 2025
Signed by:
Helen Thomas | Chief Executive
