"Good governance means that everyone involved in delivering a service understands each others roles and responsibilities, and how together they can deliver a better service"

Organisations that uphold this principle will:

• Internally, be clear - and be able to evidence through outcomes, documentation or conversation - the roles of the different committees and people who work within it, and be clear about what they can and can't do, and who they account to;
• Externally, be clear about who are the citizens it is there to serve and what those citizens think about the services they receive;
• Have a good understanding of how the different elements of the organisation function - for example, being clear about the role of Committees and Advisory Groups and how they fit into the main Board;
• Have clear arrangements for listening constructively to its staff and working with them to enable the organisation to perform to its maximum effect;
• Be able to explain how what they do fits into the wider framework;
• Be able to explain, at least in outline, the roles of the other bodies to which it relates - including the Welsh Assembly Government and its various arms - and how it works together with them;
• Be focussed on outcomes and the purpose of the organisation, with a clear articulation of what success looks like from the citizen's point of view.

The NHS in Wales has a streamlined and simplified governance framework and accountability structure designed to help ensure that the right people, are in the right roles, doing the right things, in the right way.

These pages are designed to help you understand who does what and why within NHS Wales - as well as some of the how.

You will find here information on the background to the healthcare reforms implemented in 2009, the organisations that make up the NHS and the individuals within them, as well as the standards of good governance and the key elements that make up the governance framework.