What They Said

Every quote on this page was said in public, on the record, by the people responsible for DHCW or its oversight.

"We don't have an ROI on all of our investments."

— Helen Thomas, Chief Executive, DHCW. Public Accountability Meeting, 29 January 2026.

"The benefits might be zero by the end. If we'd have known that, we'd have never started."

— Welsh Government official, on DHCW programme delays. Public Accountability Meeting, January 2026.

"It would be lovely to sit here and be able to demonstrate the value."

— Helen Thomas, Chief Executive, DHCW. Asked about the return on 25% workforce growth. Public Accountability Meeting, January 2026.

"[The NHS Wales App has] been mired in delay, non-delivery."

— Nick Wood, Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Wales. Public Accountability Meeting, January 2026.

"Are we ready for the next one? No."

— Helen Thomas, on pandemic preparedness. Digital Health, January 2025.

"The culture at NWIS was the antithesis of open."

— Welsh Public Accounts Committee, on DHCW's predecessor organisation. November 2018.

"The organisation remains some distance from being able to consistently quantify return on investment, articulate realised benefits across Wales or demonstrate the scale of digital investment is matched by measurable improvements for citizens and clinicians."

— Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. Letter to DHCW, February 2026.

"My clear expectation is DHCW must alert Welsh Government significantly earlier when risks threaten delivery, avoiding the pattern of late notification that undermines system confidence."

— Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. Letter to DHCW, February 2026.

"Patients regularly experience delays that lead to worsening health."

— Royal College of Physicians Cymru Wales and RCGP Cymru Wales. Joint briefing, July 2025.

"I'm not getting a great deal of confidence that we know what the critical path is for the app."

— Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. Public Accountability Meeting, January 2026.

These are not allegations. These are the words of the people in charge — on the public record, in their own voices.