Mental health: 'Areas for improvement' in north Wales care

Further improvements to mental health services in one of Wales' health boards are still needed, according to the chief executive of the NHS in Wales.

Dr Andrew Goodall said services from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board had got better, but there was still "significant" areas for improvement.

Conservative MS Darren Millar said there were still concerns about mental health services in north Wales.

The health board came out of special measures last year.

Giving evidence to the Senedd's public accounts committee on Monday, Dr Goodall said: "Mental health was one of the outstanding areas where we still want to have progress.

"What we have seen within mental health is a shift and a change, including in the culture of the organisation over recent years from the starting point, but there remain some significant areas for improvement."

The health board was under direct control from the Welsh Government from the summer of 2015 after a string of financial woes, management failings, growing waiting lists and a damning report into a mental health unit.

Mr Millar said: "Many people do not feel as though mental health services are of a sufficient quality in north Wales, as they should be."

Dr Goodall said there had been some improvements to mental health services at the board.

He said: "There were some significant examples of patients who were being treated out of area, and actually seeing the level to which the organisation has been able to repatriate those patients and actually build up some of the local services to access, does give us some confidence about the progress that's in there."

But he added that targeted interventions in mental health "will remain being one of the key areas that we do need to see further improvement going forward".