All five health authorities in Wales are to be scrapped as part of a radical reorganisation of the NHS in the principality by the Welsh Assembly.
Under the plans, the assembly itself will take direct control of its health responsibilities through a newly created Health and Well-Being Partnership Council. Local health groups will also be expanded and strengthened and community health councils retained.
The plan also sets targets for training 1385 medical students and 3800 nurses by 2004 and for reducing turnover and vacancy levels. It also proposes staff representation on NHS boards.
Under the plan, the five health authorities will disappear by April 2003. The plan is that the NHS structure will be made simpler and more accountable. Local health groups will be extended to include local government members and will have an expanded role managing and coordinating health care. They will also have greater accountability to the assembly.
The NHS and social services will also work more closely together to tackle problems such as hospital discharges. Health targets in a range of areas—including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, mental illnesses, and oral health—will be set too.
Announcing details of the plan, the assembly's minister for health and social services, Jane Hutt, said, "This plan sets out our long term vision of the role of the NHS with its partners, giving us a unique opportunity to improve the health and health care of the people of Wales.
"It is a plan made in Wales and designed to meet Welsh needs, breaking down the barriers between institutions and organisations to integrated services that are simpler for people to use and understand. It presents fresh challenges that demand new approaches. These will be based on dynamic new partnerships between the NHS, local government, the independent sector, and the communities they serve."
The chief medical officer for Wales, Dr Ruth Hall, said, "I welcome the emphasis on partnership working between the NHS, local government, and the voluntary sector so that we create a health system that is truly accessible and responsive. The opportunity to strengthen the public health function will ensure that we are able to meet the health and wellbeing challenges of the 21st century."
The new director of the NHS in Wales, Ann Lloyd, said: "I welcome this exciting and challenging plan and look forward to leading its implementation in Wales and seeing for myself the benefits it will bring to patients."
Improving Health in Wales—A Plan for the NHS with its Partners is available from the National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff Bay CF99 1NA or at http://www.wales.gov.ukwww.wales.gov.uk