Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) is the national digital organisation of NHS Wales — a Special Health Authority responsible for the digital systems, infrastructure and data services used across Welsh healthcare. This page explains what DHCW is, what it runs, how it is funded and overseen — and why this site argues it needs structural reform.
What is DHCW?
DHCW is a Special Health Authority of NHS Wales, established on 1 April 2021 to replace the NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS). It designs, builds and operates national digital services for the seven health boards and three NHS trusts serving Wales’ 3.16 million people. Headquartered in Cardiff, it employs around 1,263 staff, with an annual budget that reached approximately £200M in 2025–26.
What does DHCW stand for?
Digital Health and Care Wales — in Welsh, Iechyd a Gofal Digidol Cymru.
What systems does DHCW run?
DHCW operates or manages the national systems documented in this site’s systems reference, including the Welsh Patient Administration System (WPAS), the Welsh Master Patient Index (eMPI), the NHS Wales App, radiology (RISP), laboratories (LIMS), the GP communications gateway (WCCG), intensive care (WICIS), and national infrastructure including the data centre estate that hosts them. The PSBA network, on which NHS Wales connectivity depends, is a shared public-sector service used by — though not owned by — DHCW.
Who runs DHCW and how is it governed?
DHCW is led by a Chief Executive and executive team, overseen by a board of executive and independent members, and accountable to the Welsh Government, which funds it and sets its remit. Its performance is monitored under the NHS Wales escalation framework. Much of DHCW’s founding leadership came across from NWIS — the predecessor body the Senedd’s Public Accounts Committee found in 2018 to have “a culture of self-censorship and denial.”
Why is DHCW at Level 4?
The Welsh Government placed DHCW under Level 3 “enhanced monitoring” in March 2025 and, after more than twelve months without de-escalation, raised it in 2026 to Level 4 “targeted intervention” — the second-highest tier of the framework. The full sequence, with sources, is at the escalation framework page.
The case this site makes
This site — written by DHCW’s former Chief Product and Technology Officer — documents why the organisation fails structurally, the system traps that keep it failing, and a blueprint for what should replace the current model: a small standards body, health-board delivery, and statutory transparency, on the pattern of Denmark and Estonia. The headline numbers are on the facts page. The documentary evidence is at carenhs.org.Sources for this page