"Powys teaching Local Health Board (tLHB) is responsible for the commissioning of services through agreements and contracts with NHS Trusts, both in Wales and England and with primary care providers.

It also manages the Business Services Centre which provides a range of shared services to the other 21 Local Health Boards (LHBs) in Wales. The tLHB is unique in NHS Wales in that it directly provides care to patients at its 10 community hospitals in Brecon, Bronllys, Machynlleth, Builth Wells, Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, Llanidloes, Newtown, Welshpool and Ystradgynlais. It also delivers an extensive range of community based services such as district nursing and health visiting.

The Board meets on a bi-monthly basis in public session. Dates and venues for the meetings can be found on the tLHB website and in the local press. The tLHB's core aim is to improve the quality and range of services available to local people and to ensure that they have timely access to safe and appropriate services when they need them.

It is committed to working in partnership with other organisations such as Powys County Council, the Community Health Councils, the voluntary sector, NHS Trusts and primary care contractors.

Powys tLHB operates in a very challenging environment and is required to meet targets for access to services and high standards for the delivery of care in a large rural area with its own particular challenges in terms of an ageing population and difficult transport links.

Following a Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) review of arrangements for clinical governance and patient safety in Powys' provider services in 2007/8, the tLHB established its Safe Solutions for Rural Services Programme which addresses various recommendations arising from the review.

The Programme ensured that early progress was made on those areas where patient safety might be compromised. It also addresses the medium to longer term issues which will be taken forward in consultation with its partners and the general public.

The programme lays the foundation for an enhanced range of safe, locally based health and social services and the tLHB is already working on a number of important projects in conjunction with local communities including specific proposals for Builth, Knighton, Machynlleth and Llanidloes.

Having achieved all the Welsh Assembly Government waiting time targets in 2007-8, the tLHB is working hard to ensure that it meets the even more stringent targets set for 2008-9 including waits of no longer than 14 weeks for in-patient/day case surgery and 10 weeks for a consultant led out-patient appointment.

Our other priorities in 2008-9 include:
• The improvement of healthcare standards in both clinical and non-clinical services
• The reduction in our underlying financial deficit
• Implementation of the national '1000 Lives Campaign' to embed best practice to ensure patients receive the safest and most effective healthcare possible
• Continued joint-working with partners and in particular
• building on the experience and learning from the work underway in the redevelopment of health and social care in Builth Wells, recognising the need to adapt solutions to suit particular areas.
• Reducing the number of people who remain in hospital longer than necessary."

Article written by Judith Paget