We found that :

• there has been good operational management and agile decision-making during the pandemic despite some limitations in the transparency of scrutiny, assurance, and oversight of overall governance.
• effective financial controls, monitoring and reporting have been maintained throughout the pandemic, but the impact of COVID-19 is creating a significant risk to the Health Board’s ability to break even.
• operational plans have been informed by robust data modelling and developed in a timely way, and the Health Board is seeking to more fully engage stakeholders in future planning. However, risks remain in the event of a second COVID-19 peak, and arrangements to monitor delivery of the plan need strengthening.