Local health board

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A local health board (LHB; Welsh: bwrdd iechyd lleol) is an administrative unit of NHS Wales, established in 2003. Following a reorganisation in 2009, there are currently seven local health boards in Wales. Local health boards may use an operational name of either University Health Board (Welsh: Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol) or Teaching Health Board (Welsh: Bwrdd lechyd Addysgu) in their names.

The LHBs were operationally launched on 1 April 2003,^[1][2] following "The Local Health Boards (Establishment) (Wales) Order 2003" coming into force on 10 February 2003, replacing the five Health Authorities in Wales. In 2003, there were 22 LHBs in Wales, corresponding to one LHB for each principal area of Wales. These new boards would receive roughly three-quarters of the allocated budget for NHS Wales, and the boards were set up to effectively plan services for the populations of their respective local authorities. The boards were given the responsibility of financing hospital trusts, G.Ps, dentists, and other healthcare professionals to provide these services. The Health Commission Wales (Specialist Services) was also created on 1 April 2003 to take over the responsibility of a few services, previously allocated to the Health Authorities, on an all-Wales basis for more effective planning and service, such as the services for; cardiac surgery, emergency ambulance services, and some children's services.

In 2009, the health boards were reorganised and merged with local NHS hospital trusts into seven larger local health boards, coming into effect on 1 October 2009, replacing the system in use since 2003.^[3]

Alongside the seven local health boards there are three all-Wales NHS trusts of NHS Wales (Public Health Wales, Velindre University NHS Trust and the Welsh Ambulance Service)^[4] and one Special Health Authority (Health Education and Improvement Wales).^[5]