‘Bevan Commission’ to Advise on Health Service Reform

In the 60th anniversary year of the NHS, Health Minister Edwina Hart has announced the membership of a new independent group, named after NHS founder Aneurin Bevan, to help ensure that changes in NHS structures set Wales “on the path to a world-class health care system”.

The group, the Bevan Commission, will also give expert advice on emerging health issues that require attention and opportunities for greater or faster service improvement in the NHS.

Professor Mansel Aylward CB, chair of the Wales Centre for Health, will head the commission, with eight other members drawn from a range of health backgrounds.

They are:

  • Dr Tony Calland, chair of the Medical Ethics Committee of the British Medical Association and former chair of the BMA Welsh Council;
  • Professor Sir Anthony Newman-Taylor CBE, Head of National Heart and Lung Institute and Deputy Principal Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London;
  • Professor Ceri Phillips, Professor of Health Economics at Swansea University;
  • Professor Donald M Berwick KBE, President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement;
  • Professor Allyson Pollock, Professor of International Public Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh;
  • Professor Dame June Clark DBE, Professor Emeritus at Swansea University and former president of the Royal College of Nursing;
  • Sir Ian Carruthers OBE, Chief Executive of the South West Strategic Health Authority; and,
  • Professor Charlotte Williams OBE, Professor of Social Justice in the University of Keele.

Commenting on the reasons for forming the group Edwina Hart said: “The One Wales document committed the Assembly Government to establishing a world-class health service that is available to everyone.

“The Bevan Commission will give me expert advice and help ensure that increasingly Wales can draw on the best practice from across the world while remaining true to the principles of the NHS as established by Aneurin Bevan.

“Its members will come from a wide variety of backgrounds, help us explore in depth issues such as patient experience and service quality and realise the One Wales commitment to create a world-class health service for all.”

Professor Aylward added: “Reform of the NHS in Wales, the commitment to a Unified Public Health Organisation and an abiding focus on delivering quality and safety in health care are the essential ingredients for success on the pathway to achieving a world class health service in Wales.

“The Bevan Commission will provide the Minister with independent and expert advice to help her achieve this vision.  I am delighted to be chairing the Commission.”

The commission met for the first time in December and will act as an advisory group for a period of up to two years.