The best configuration of hospital services for Wales : A review of the evidence. SUMMARY

People across Wales are about to be asked for their views on how their health services should be changed. This paper is designed to help people make up their own minds. It reviews the evidence on what constitutes 'the best' in hospital provision, and assesses the strength and implications of the evidence. The focus is on what the evidence suggests about the optimal number, size and distribution of hospital services in Wales. It is impartial, based solely on the evidence reviewed, and any judgements made on the basis of the evidence are explicit. It is written primarily for a lay audience: people who care about the future of their health services, and want to make up their own minds between the sometimes conflicting views presented through the media and elsewhere.