Annual Report of the Director of Public Health

2 February 2023

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s Executive Director of Public Health has published her Annual Report, ‘Delivering Better Outcomes for People Through a Value-based Approach’, which describes a Value-based approach and provides practical recommendations on how it can be applied across the public sector.  

The public sector in Wales spends billions of pounds of public money every year to provide a range of services. Our public services aim to provide the best services possible with the resources we have available. In this Cardiff and Vale Annual Report, Fiona Kinghorn highlights how a Value-based approach can help ensure that every penny of public spending goes towards achieving outcomes that matter to local people, and the importance of shifting spending upstream to help people stay happy and well. 

A Value-based approach has five key principles: equitable, sustainable, transparent, outcome-focused, and high-quality services. The report does two things, firstly it provides a compelling case for change and secondly it describes tools and techniques that can be used to deliver of a value-based approach. The report goes on to identify six steps to success, that public sector bodies can follow to apply a Value-based approach consistently.  

Fiona Kinghorn, Executive Director of Public Health, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said,  

“In the current difficult economic circumstances, it has never been so important that all our services and public bodies can demonstrate best use of public money to meet the needs of local people and that we can measure the difference we make over time with that provision. 

The concept of Value is one that can help us. The principles and approach can be applied to any service or organisation, and are particularly important for the public sector, which relies on public money to function.  

Throughout the report, examples of good practice that are already in place in different parts of our public sector in Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan are outlined but we have so much more to do to consistently adopt a Value-based approach. I hope you find this report both food for thought and a useful addition to strengthen transformation across our public sector in the years to come.”  

View the full report and supporting animation for ‘Delivering Better Outcomes for People Through a Value-based Approach’ here.