Some Betsi Cadwaladr vascular patients to be sent to England

Some vascular patients in north Wales will be sent to England for treatment after two "concerning" incidents and staff shortages at the health board.

Complex cases will be sent to Liverpool for at least a month while Betsi Cadwaladr health board investigates.

Ysbyty Glan Clwyd will continue the majority of services but expects delays to routine surgeries and appointments.

The Welsh government said it was "very concerned" following the health board's final warning by ministers.

The health board's vascular services were the subject of a scathing report by the Royal College of Surgeons in February.

While a spokesperson said they were "implementing the recommendations", Tuesday's statement has raised further concerns.

About four additional emergency procedures per week are expected to take place at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust, rather than Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, in Denbighshire.

Services at the hospital will also be affected, with about 20 surgeries and 60 outpatients appointments delayed over the next month.

Dr Nick Lyons, executive medical director at Betsi, said the health board would be "strengthening the capacity and capability" of its vascular services, and that it was being "open and transparent" in order to build trust and confidence.

He also apologised for any distress caused.

"Patient safety and experience is the driver of this decision, which is a temporary solution while we put in place steps to assure ourselves that the service has the right workforce capacity and capability," he said.

"Our relentless focus is on doing the right thing for our patients and delivering the best possible outcomes across our north Wales network."

He added that more consultants have been added onto the health board's on-call rota to "ensure the safety of our patients".

Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, Plaid Cymru Spokesman for health and care, said: "Another week, another alarm is raised about vascular services in the north of Wales.

"The categorising of the service last week by Health Inspectorate Wales as a 'service requiring significant improvement', following the publication of a damning report by the Royal College of Surgeons, highlighted again why I, and my Plaid Cymru colleagues, have been right to raise concerns about - and to oppose - the recent centralisation of services."

The Welsh government said: "The health minister has been clear that the health board needs to address these service issues with immediate effect.

"It is encouraging support is being offered by the Liverpool vascular network and this comes in response to the recommendations made by the Royal College of Surgeons."