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Dragon's Heart Hospital

Cardiff and Vale

Case Studies
Cardiff and Vale – Dragon’s Heart Hospital
Client Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Region UK
Sector Public Sector, Health and Not For Profit
Offering Organisation Change & Implementation
Testimonial

The Challenge

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic and a rapid increase in projected demand for medical care, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board needed to increase their capacity by 1,500 beds in just 30 days ahead of an expected surge in Covid-19 cases.​

​With the home of Welsh rugby, the Principality Stadium, chosen as the venue for the surge capacity, Cardiff and Vale asked a consortium of three firms, including Q5, to help them deliver the UK’s second-largest field hospital at record pace.​

​Building the hospital required over 250,000 person-hours and represented a colossal feat of human effort. In a vast and complex programme, Q5 were embedded in leading the work of the Programme Management Office, coordinating workstreams, risks and interdependencies, successfully transforming the Principality Stadium into Dragon’s Heart Hospital and ready for patients in time.

Our Approach

Q5 stood up a team at pace to support the Programme Director leading the overall programme, and the Clinical Director leading the clinical setup of the hospital.​

  • We created the PMO team which covered each workstream, providing central coordination, alignment and governance to drive activity across all workstreams​
  • We centrally gathered and assessed risks, interdependencies and key decisions required, liaising between the programme team and senior Health Board leadership​
  • We worked flexibly and at pace, leveraging strong personal relationships in order to solve problems and unblock delays on a daily basis​
  • We led the development of key deliverables, such as executive reports, risk and decision logs and workstream plans​
  • We designed and led planning workshops, generating clear direction and alignment on goals at intervals throughout the project​
  • We designed and facilitated ‘lessons learned’ workshops, looking at how all of the innovation from the programme could be captured and taken forward into the Health Board’s future work

Key Outcomes

  • The programme successfully delivered 1,500 beds so that the NHS was ready to care for the population of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan
  • The PMO ‘nerve centre’ and partnership with the consortium was celebrated as a major successes of the programme and a key enabler of its pace
  • Workstreams were well aligned around clear deliverables and blockers were identified early, meaning they could be met head-on
  • Detailed and accurate programme documentation was developed at pace, meaning that decisions could be made confidently and governed effectively
  • The rhythm, governance and innovative ways of working developed by the PMO team were viewed as instrumental to the programme’s success. As a result, Q5 were asked to return to Cardiff and look at how our approach could be implemented in all of the Health Board’s projects in the future

What our clients say about us

“The Q5 team have shown me the force multiplying effect that can come with highly skilled consulting colleagues. They are fast, collaborative and passionate about what we do.

Our work together in our darkest hours in the Principality Stadium forged a true partnership which has gone on to help us solve some of our trickiest problems. Their engaging style that gets us to the point quickly has helped us to make huge progress in delivering our strategy.”

Jonathon Gray​ - Director, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Case studies

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NHS Wales – Dragon’s Heart Hospital Project Management Office

In 2019 Cardiff and Vale University Health Board urgently needed to increase capacity by 1,500 beds in just 30 days ahead of an expected surge in Covid-19 cases. Q5 joined a consortium to help deliver the project and led the work in developing the Programme Management Office, coordinating workstreams, risks and interdependencies, enabling the transformation of the Principality Stadium into the Dragon’s Heart Hospital in time. 
NHS Wales – Live Well Programme

In FY20/21 our understanding of the impact of COVID both on individuals, the system and society as a whole was limited and still forming. In early FY21/22, we established the Live Well Programme, which looked at providing the support to the people who were affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NHS Wales – Eye Care Digitalisation

Ophthalmology and Optometry Services in Wales have been paper-based since their inception. In 2018, Cardiff and Vale Health Board began the roll-out of OpenEyes and OpenERS, to digitalise all Primary and Secondary Eye Care. They are now rolling out across the nation to deliver a vision of shared care between community optometrists and hospitals.

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Q5 is a trading name of Q5 Ltd, which is registered in England and Wales, Registration No. 15266902.
The Registered Office is Thorney House, 34 Smith Square, London, England, SW1P 3HL.