Thursday, August 13, 2026

Colleagues of a Bevan Exemplar who passed away aged just 48 have described the ‘lasting legacy’ of her work to reduce loneliness and boost wellbeing with virtual reality (VR).

Michelle Copeman, who died from lung cancer earlier this year, was part of the Bevan Commission’s Bevan Exemplar Programme with Sarah Beauclerk. Together they launched Connecting Realities to help people traditionally disconnected from technology to connect with others and access services – with Sarah describing Michelle as the ‘driving force’ behind its success.

Michelle, who was then a project manager with Hywel Dda University Health Board, and Sarah, director of community interest company Vere Experiences, came together in 2022 to develop Connecting Realities in collaboration with Pembrokeshire County Council and VR Inclusive Mental Health Interventions. This was the closely associated fellow Bevan Exemplar project developed in collaboration with Katherine Lewis and the Pembrokeshire Older Adult Community Mental Health Team.

The Bevan Exemplar Programme supports health and care professionals across Wales to translate innovative ideas into practice, providing training and mentoring to enable projects to improve patient care and health outcomes.

Sarah said: “The project’s success is because of Michelle. I had the concept, but it didn’t have legs until she was involved. She told us about the Bevan Exemplar Programme, and from there, everything came together. No one else has ever had such an impact on anything I’ve done professionally as Michelle, as she laid the foundation, including establishing funding routes, to allow our activity to develop from 2021 to where we are now.

“Although she moved departments quite early on, she maintained an interest and enthusiasm for Connecting Realities, even offering to test experiences two days before she died. Our project is only one example of many she made happen. In a world where it can be easy to feel powerless in the face of complex and challenging systems, Michelle’s enduring legacy shows what a positive difference one passionate and determined individual can make.”

Jess Svetz, Michelle’s line manager and close friend, said: “Michelle’s ability to bring people together, manage complexity and maintain focus on outcomes for patients and communities has left a lasting imprint on how services are designed and delivered locally.

“During her time in Pembrokeshire, she played a significant role in shaping how partners work together, particularly in community-based and intermediate care models. She had a deep understanding of legislation and policy and translated this into practical operational changes across the system.

“Michelle also played a key role in designing and delivering transformation programmes aligned to ‘A Healthier West Wales’, acting as a bridge between local delivery and regional strategy and ensuring Pembrokeshire’s voice was represented.”

Michelle, who was a non-smoker, lived in Pembroke Dock with her partner Tom and their adult children Amber and Jasper, who have consented to her story being shared.

Jess added: “Michelle was such a special person who put everyone before herself, even when she was unwell. She had such an impact on everyone’s lives and we want to show how important she was.”

Connecting Realities and the VR Inclusive Mental Health Interventions project paved the way for Ffynhonnell-Wellspring, an immersive platform for women’s health and wellbeing co-ordinated by Vere Experiences in collaboration with partners across Pembrokeshire.

The Bevan Commission is Wales’ leading independent health and care think tank. It works with health and care professionals, patients and service users, industry, academia and the third sector to challenge, change and champion thinking and practice in health and care.

You can read about the Connecting Realities Bevan Exemplar project here and find out how virtual reality is helping to reduce isolation here.

May 20, 2026

A man who reduced his diabetes blood glucose level from 120 to 38 following a ‘shock’ diagnosis has praised self-management courses for patients and their carers as a ‘lifeline’. 

Alan Lawrie, of Penrhyn Bay, Conwy, signed up for Education Programmes for Patients (EPP) Cymru’s Diabetes Self-Management course after being told he had the condition in 2023. Describing his diagnosis as a ‘wake-up call’, Alan said the programme was so valuable that he now volunteers as a programme tutor to help other people. 

Thanks to an exciting new partnership between the Bevan Commission and NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, it is now hoped that more people living with long-term conditions and their carers will be able to gain the information and skills to better manage their health. This will help them to live healthier lives while reducing pressures on the NHS. 

Alan said: “The course was actually a bit of a shock and helped me reflect on habits such as buying cans of coke or having lots of orange juice and carbs. Some of the complications of diabetes can be losing a limb, having a stroke or having very poor mental health or depression. I think I just didn’t understand the implications until I was diagnosed, and it was a wake-up call for my family too.” 

Since completing the course, Alan has become an accredited volunteer tutor to support others. He added: “As a tutor, it’s great to see how the participants change during the six-week course. They are looking for a lifeline, and by week three they are making friends and coming alive. The courses are about rethinking the situation, problem solving and reinforcing all the things we should be doing to help ourselves- such as exercise, having a diet plan and dealing with different emotions.” 

Almost half (48%) of people in Wales live with one or more long-term condition, which can lead to anxiety, a lack of confidence, isolation and frequent health appointments. EPP Cymru’s range of courses is designed to improve self-care, reduce loneliness and lead to better health outcomes for people.  

EPP Cymru is part of NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, which has teamed up with the Bevan Commission, Wales’s leading independent health and care think tank, in a two-year partnership to help improve access to self-management. 

The partnership will look at how the Bevan Commission can help develop EPP Cymru in the future. It will explore ways to expand its reach, work more closely with other services, and make a bigger difference across health and social care in Wales. 

EPP Cymru Self-Management Lead Christine Roach said: “I am thoroughly looking forward to working with the Bevan Commission to identify new opportunities to explore, develop and transform the EPP Cymru programme, ensuring it is both sustainable and fit for the future.  

“Our goal is to expand and future-proof the EPP Cymru offer for NHS Wales and industry by maximising the skills, assets, network and drawing upon the independent lens and credibility that the Bevan Commission brings to the table. Their expertise and perspective will be invaluable to our efforts and I am confident that, together, we can achieve remarkable results for the benefit of all.” 

EPP Cymru is based on the urgent need for sustainable, community-based support, which provides the information and skills for people to change their behaviour. Courses include self-management for chronic conditions, persistent pain, cancer, bone health and HIV, as well as support for carers. 

Christine and Training Manager Jules Godden are also part of the Cohort 9 Bevan Exemplar Programme and presented their project, ‘Building Resilient and Resourceful Communities’, at a special showcase in the Senedd earlier this year. Their project aims to establish a National Peer Support Service, with a pilot scheme being described as ‘a lifeline’ by one patient and 97% of participants finding peer support ‘highly effective’. 

Volunteer EPP tutors are provided with extensive training and resources to deliver courses online and in the community, and fully supported by a co-tutor at each session. Find out more about EPP Cymru here. 

You can also read more about Chris and Jules’ EPP Cymru Bevan Exemplar project here. 

Wales has a ‘window of opportunity’ to transform health and social care into a sustainable model fit for the future. That was the message from global leaders, who called for bold action and courage at a symposium held by the Bevan Commission ahead of the Senedd election 2026. 

Innovation and a drive to do things differently were the central themes at ‘The Art of the Possible: Transforming Health and Care in Wales – From Social Innovation to System Transformation’. This flagship event at Swansea University was part of the ‘Health Matters’ series from the Bevan Commission, the leading independent think tank in Wales, offering insights and possible solutions to some of the ongoing challenges, ahead of the forthcoming election in May. 

Bevan Commission Director Dr Helen Howson said: “Spending on health and social care has risen consistently, growing to more than half of our national budget, yet outcomes, including healthy life expectancy, continue to decline across Wales, as our population lives longer but is more unwell. We are investing more of our resources than ever before but generating worse long-term outcomes for the population. 

 “We urgently need to rethink how we design, invest in, deliver and cultivate good health, care and wellbeing for the people of Wales. Without acting now, the long-term trajectory will only worsen. Health is everyone’s responsibility and we must be brave and bold, building upon what we know works and being unafraid to do things differently.  Wales could once again lead internationally on this agenda.” 

The Art of the Possible brought together world-class leaders, health and care experts and academics to spark thinking and explore what is truly possible for services in Wales. Among the speakers at the university’s Great Hall were Chief Medical Officer for Wales Professor Isabel Oliver, former Team GB cyclist and behavioural scientist Denise Hampson, health economist and author James Maskell and Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) Director Dr Helen Brown, who described ‘pockets of brilliance’ everywhere that need transforming into outcomes for patients.  

The event also included a panel of industry experts, who shared their insights into mobilising change, and a number of Bevan Commissioners – an independent panel of internationally renowned experts. These included Nygaire Bevan, who has more than 40 years’ experience working in health and social care and is the great-niece of NHS founder Aneurin Bevan. Experts joining online included Havard Professor of the Practice of Public Health and Health Policy David Blumenthal, and Professor Don Berwick OBE, a Bevan Commissioner, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and a former adviser to Barack Obama.  

Dr Howson added: “The symposium was a rare opportunity to bring together policymakers and professionals from across Wales and beyond to explore what is already emerging and what could be achieved if we are prepared to think differently. It was fantastic to welcome so many innovators and partners in person and listen not only to our expert speakers and panellists, but to the many inspiring conversations taking place throughout the day between delegates.  

“The aim of the event was to showcase Wales as a place that does not wait for the future but actively shapes it, demonstrating how collaboration, creativity and courage can turn ideas into lasting change. The question is no longer whether change is needed, it is how well we make it happen. If we are prepared to think boldly, the art of the possible becomes the art of the achievable.” 

The Art of the Possible was sponsored by New Medica, Patients Know Best, Welsh Government and Swansea University, and chaired by ITV’s Wales reporter Rhys Williams. 

The Health Matters series included a cross-party panel discussion event in Cardiff University last month and a range of thought-provoking articles by the Bevan Commissioners. 

Monday 16th February 2026

Hundreds of frontline staff and patients in Wales have highlighted the everyday rules and procedures which may inadvertently impact the efficient delivery of health and care – as well as suggesting improvements, from reducing unnecessary paperwork to changing outdated booking processes.  

A new report called ‘Silly Rules’, by the Bevan Commission, the leading independent health and care think tank in Wales, and Llais, the citizen voice body for health and social care, highlights how minor tweaks to delivery could streamline services to improve the experience of patients and staff. Almost 800 responses were gathered, showing the opportunities to make health and care more efficient and effective.  

Bevan Commission Director Dr Helen Howson said: “At a time when health and care professionals and leaders are already under intense pressure, we want to identify practical ways to relieve that pressure and make everyday care better. This work is about understanding the barriers people face when delivering and accessing care and recognising that rules introduced for the right reasons can become outdated or have unintended consequences.  

“The response to our ‘Silly Rules’ campaign was striking and culminated in almost 800 examples of rules, habits and routines that get in the way of delivering or receiving good care. Together, they demonstrate a shared appetite for change; to simplify, streamline and strengthen the system so that time and energy are focused on effective and efficient care.” 

Llais Chief Executive Alyson Thomas said: “The responses to the Silly Rules campaign highlight something we hear every day: people want health and care systems that work with them, not against them. These examples reveal opportunities for simple, sensible improvements that could make a real difference to staff and patients. By working with the Bevan Commission and partners across Wales, we’re ensuring that people’s voices drive the changes needed to remove barriers, reduce wasted effort and build a system that delivers care in the way people expect and deserve.” 

According to estimates, around 20-30% of all resources invested into health and care systems are lost to waste [1]. This led the Bevan Commission and Llais to ask one simple question: “If you could break or change any rule(s) to provide a better care experience for patients, families or staff in Wales, what would it be?” 

The majority of the ‘rules’ submitted came from the workforce and about a quarter from members of the public. Frustrations included a ward manager completing ‘six hours of paperwork’ following a minor fall, and a patient being told they would need to phone to make an appointment – even though they were standing in front of the receptionist. 

The Silly Rules initiative was inspired by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s (IHI) Breaking the Rules for Better Care campaign, which originally explored the barriers experienced by people working in and using health services in the United States.  

Building on this work, the Bevan Commission partnered with Llais to ask the simple question about how to make things better here in Wales. Responses were categorised into 10 themes, with almost half (48%) falling under Operations and Service Delivery. Other notable categories were Clinical Services, Communications, and Digital and Information. 

The Bevan Commission and Llais will continue to work closely with health and social care organisations in Wales, following the principles of prudent health care and ensuring that resources are used to their best effect. The Commission has developed a toolkit, which will be shared with health and care organisations in Wales to help them review their own rules, identify unnecessary barriers and implement evidence-based change. 

 You can find out more about Silly Rules and read the executive summary here. 

[1]  D.M. Berwick, S. Loehrer and C. Gunther-Murphy – Breaking the Rules for Better Care (2017). 

Case study 

“I see so many clients who do not meet the high thresholds for care and support but cannot access community-based groups without it.” 

One healthcare professional who responded to our campaign highlighted how the threshold criteria block people from accessing simple, preventative support unless their health has already deteriorated. The respondent said: “Individuals seeking help with weight, wellbeing or lifestyle changes are told they do not meet the threshold and must return when things are worse. Instead of supporting people early, the system waits for escalation, leading to more appointments, more tests and greater pressure elsewhere.” 

Scaled modestly across Wales, even a small number of preventative opportunities each year could save the NHS hundreds of thousands of pounds in reactive treatment costs.