Last Thursday, the spa town of Llandrindod Wells in mid-Wales played host to an inspiring gathering at the All-Wales IMPACT Project Workshop. Held at the historic Metropole Hotel, this event was a convergence of minds dedicated to advancing the work IMPACT has done in Wales, and working to support our partners throughout Wales to support meaningful improvement. As an Implementation Centre, IMPACT’s mission is to support the use of evidence to benefit those who draw on care and support, practitioners, and policy makers.
Highlights of the Day
The workshop showcased the achievements of various IMPACT Projects completed in Wales during 2023-2024. These included:
- Care Workers’ Wellbeing Network
- Remodelling the Front Network
- Hospital Discharge Network
- Social Care in Rural Areas Network
- Demonstrator Project: Embedding Home Care Redesign
Esteemed Guests
We were fortunate to be joined by a diverse group of experts and stakeholders came ready to talk about how we could take our work forward in Wales: Terry Davis from the Coproduction Advisory Group; Donna Coyle from CWMPAS; Michael Holding from the Care Inspectorate in Wales; Joseph Wilton and Meg Pryor from the Welsh Government; Helen Mills, from the Powys Regional Innovation Coordination Hub; Thea Brain from Care Forum Wales; Simon Renault, Head of Innovation, Technology & Partnerships; Barry Morgan from Hywel Dda University; Meilys Haulfryn Smith from Gwynedd Local Authority; Kate Allen from Ategi and Karen Arthur and Jayne Bevan from Powys County Council. They were joined by Prof Sarah Jenkins, Victoria Rivera Ugarte, Nathan Stephens, Suzi Crowter and Laura Griffith from IMPACT.
Key Discussions
Throughout the day, we engaged in thoughtful dialogue about several crucial topics, including:
- Moving from Pilots to Standardised Practice: How can we ensure successful pilot projects become the norm across the sector?
- Sharing Templates of What Works: What are the best ways to disseminate effective practices among local authorities through Regional Innovation and Communication Hubs and other avenues
- Proving Our Worth: From economic evaluations to documenting the impact on those who draw on care and support, how do we best demonstrate the value of our efforts?
- Raising Our Profile in Wales: How can we build on our accomplishments to increase the visibility and influence of good ideas working together with partners from across Wales?
- Acknowledging the Pace of Organisational Change: Recognising that meaningful change often takes time and persistence.
- Recognising the Importance of Community Transport: Understanding that across Wales, transport isn’t about more buses, but understanding the needs of the community and the accessibility of support and services more generally.
This event will act as a springboard for planning our action-oriented approach in Wales, and we want to thank all our participants for their advice, support and partnership.
