Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB) is one of seven health boards in Wales, responsible for delivering health and social care services across its region. Facing rising demand and mounting financial pressure, HDUHB partnered with CGI to develop a clear digital strategy to improve patient outcomes while ensuring long-term financial sustainability and operational efficiencies.
Balancing demand with financial constraints
Like many healthcare providers, HDUHB needed to do more with limited resources. Increasing service demand, combined with financial constraints, created an urgent need to rethink how care was delivered.
Rather than pursuing isolated technology initiatives, HDUHB sought a strategic, system-wide approach to:
- optimize resources
- improve operational efficiency
- enable better use of data and digital capabilities
A comprehensive, outcome-led digital strategy
CGI worked collaboratively with HDUHB to co-create a digital strategy aligned to a multi-year, ROI-driven transformation roadmap. The approach focused on delivering measurable outcomes while enabling a more integrated, people-centered model of care. Key steps included:
- Understanding the challenge: Engaging leadership and operational teams to build a clear, shared view of current pressures and opportunities.
- Defining strategic priorities: Establishing a set of imperatives aligned to HDUHB’s long-term vision for health and care services.
- Quantifying value: Identifying where technology-enabled service redesign could deliver the greatest impact, supported by financial analysis and defined value propositions.
- Designing the future state: Developing an end-to-end enterprise architecture with clear transition states to guide implementation.
- Building digital capability: Defining the capabilities, skills, and operating model required to support sustainable transformation.
- Linking strategy to execution: Translating strategic ambition into a practical delivery plan, supported by change management and prioritized initiatives.
- Creating a multi-year roadmap: Establishing a clear, phased investment plan to maximize ROI and support continuous improvement.
Delivering measurable impact
With a clear strategy and roadmap in place, HDUHB secured executive approval for its strategic transformation program, providing a strong foundation for long-term change. The approach is enabling:
Stronger financial positioning: A prioritized, ROI-driven roadmap supports smarter investment decisions and helps manage financial pressures.
Improved operational efficiency: Streamlined processes and better resource allocation enable teams to respond more effectively to growing demand.
Sustainable long-term planning: A structured transformation pathway positions HDUHB to scale digital initiatives and select future strategic partners.
Enhanced health and well-being outcomes: Better use of data, technology and service redesign supports improved patient outcomes and higher-quality care.
The CGI team working with us has been outstanding. They didn’t come with a fixed view or preconceived ideas. They came with curiosity to understand our people, our values, and our context, to explore our challenges, and to bring their wisdom and experience alongside ours to co-create our solution. What we have built is a long-term partnership guided by a common purpose, supported by shared values and motivated by action to improve our population's health.
Director of Finance, Hywel Dda University Health Board
Building a foundation for sustainable transformation
By taking a whole-system, people-focused approach, HDUHB is now better equipped to navigate its challenges and deliver sustainable health and care services. This transformation lays the groundwork for a more agile, data-driven organization, capable of continuously improving outcomes for both patients and practitioners.