Swansea Bay clinicians in Senedd awards
Two Swansea Bay projects have been showcased in The Senedd and handed major awards.
The Orthopaedic Waiting List Initiative (OWLi), which is a digital platform that focuses on screening patients’ health and linking with waiting list optimisation services to prepare patients for surgery, was one of them. The other was the Perioperative Care of Older People (POPS), a clinically led innovation that is transforming elective surgical care for older people across Wales. Both won Bevan Exemplar Showcase awards.
A third project, led by Morriston Hospital pharmacists Gareth Chapple and Joshua Lau, which has embedded a prescribing pharmacist into the cardiology multi-disciplinary team to improve safety, efficiency, and patient care, was also highlighted at the event in Cardiff Bay.
The Bevan Exemplar Programme provides training and mentorship to enable frontline staff and specialists to transform services from within to positively impact patient care, experience and health outcomes.
This year’s showcase also included two awards, the Professor Sir Mansel Aylward Award for Outstanding Innovation, and the Dr Daryl Harris Award, in memory of Bevan Fellow and Aneurin Bevan UHB Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Harris.
Swansea Bay Consultant Geriatrician, Dr Karina James, who worked alongside Cardiff and Vale UHB colleagues, Dr Nia Humphrey and Dr Margaret Coakley, picked up the Professor Sir Mansel Aylward Award for Outstanding Innovation for their work on POPS.
This clinically led innovation – a collaboration between Cardiff and Vale and Swansea Bay health boards – is transforming elective surgical care for older people across Wales.
The POPS collaboration also received the National Scaling Up Award from MediWales in December.
Dr Karina James said: “I’m incredibly proud that our Perioperative Care of Older People (POPS) programme has been recognised with the Professor Sir Mansel Aylward Award for Outstanding Innovation.
“POPS is a powerful example of what can be achieved through genuine collaboration — bringing together multiple specialties and teams across hospitals to redesign care around the needs of older people.
“The programme has delivered measurable improvements in safety and outcomes, reduced cancellations, and demonstrated significant financial benefits, with published data showing savings of over £500,000 a year across two health boards.
“Securing national, Wales-wide funding reflects both the strength of the evidence and the shared commitment of teams across Wales to spread innovation at scale. This award is a testament to the dedication, partnership and ambition of everyone involved.”
Swansea Bay Prehabilitation Allied Health Professional Lead, Chris Lambert, took home the Dr Daryl Harris Award for his role in developing the Orthopaedic Waiting List Initiative (OWLi).
Again, it was not OWLi’s first award having won the Technology and Digital Impact Award at the Medi Wales Innovation Awards 2024 and an Advancing Healthcare digital innovation award in 2025.
From left to right: Bevan Commission director Dr Helen Howson, Chris Lambert, Richard Harris, Bethan Lloyd.
Chris said: “I was delighted to receive this award from the Bevan Commission at the Senedd. Our OWLi project was very well received, and we hope it will help streamline waiting list management in Swansea Bay and other health boards across Wales.
“The OWLi platform has already supported more than 5,000 Swansea Bay Orthopaedic patients. It provides health screening and directs those who need extra help to the right optimisation services that match this new innovative way of working.
“This approach makes better use of waiting list time by helping patients prepare for surgery or treatment. Improving efficiencies, outcomes and patient experience.
“The project was developed by a small but dedicated team, including co-developer Dr Catherine Cromey and our industry partners, Pro mapp Ltd.
“We’ve also had amazing support from the planned care leads in Swansea Bay, who have helped us get this project up and running with new plans to embed it as standard care.”
Joshua Lau, (Advanced Pharmacist - Cardiology), said: "It was an immense privilege to be able to share our work demonstrating the value of a dedicated prescribing pharmacist within cardiology. Having a dedicated pharmacist as part of the post take ward round meant that our patients had greater access to a member of the team who is solely focussed on their medicines, ensuring that each patient gets the most out of their treatment and that individual risk factors are addressed first time round. By putting the right expertise in the right place at the right time, we've delivered safer care, better flow and better value. Patients leave hospital on the right medicines at the right dose for the right reasons."
Deputy Executive Medical Director, Raj Krishnan, said: “My warmest congratulations to Dr Karina James, Dr Nia Humphrey, Dr Margaret Coakley, Chris Lambert, Gareth Chapple, Joshua Lau and Dr Catherine Cromey for their outstanding achievements.
“Your innovation and dedication are transforming care for our patients and strengthening services across Wales. You should all be immensely proud.”
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