Betsi Cadwaladr: Special measures decision called 'premature'

It was "premature" and was the wrong decision to take north Wales' health board out of special measures, opposition parties have said.

After five years under Welsh government control, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) came out of special measures in November 2020.

Following recent damning reports, Plaid Cymru said parts of it should return to special measures.

The Welsh government said it expected BCUHB "to make necessary improvements".

In 2015, Betsi Cadwaladr health board was placed in special measures following a series of problems, including financial woes, reports of management failings, growing waiting lists, and a damning report into a mental health unit.

But the government said the "clear advice" in November 2020 was its escalation status should change to "targeted intervention", which would still require "significant action" by the health board.

In February, following a critical report into its vascular services, the health minister warned Betsi Cadwaladr to make urgent changes or it could be placed back in special measures.

Ysbyty Glan Clwyd has the worst-performing A&E department in Wales and a report published earlier in the week said patients faced "significant" delays.

A review into the treatment of nurses at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor is underway after claims of bullying and burnout.

Speaking on the BBC Politics Wales programme, Plaid Cymru's health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "I think it was clearly premature to bring Betsi Cadwaladr out of special measures.

"When we were saying 'sort out Betsi Cadwaladr', it didn't mean changing its status, it meant improve services.

"There are parts, certainly, of the health service that should be in special measures now."

Welsh Conservatives health spokesman Russell George said: "The health board should never have been taken out of special measures in the first place.

"It was clear that doing so before an election was a political decision and not one in the best interests of patients and staff.

"However, special measures is not a silver bullet and we need management of the board to actually be effective and enact the recommendations of a series of damning reports."

Speaking in the Senedd on Wednesday, Conservative MS Darren Millar said taking Betsi out of special measures "was the wrong decision" and called on the minister to "sort it out".

Health Minister Eluned Morgan MS said she believed the government took the "right" decision and that a balance was needed between seeing "massive improvements" and standing "by the staff".

The minister dismissed Plaid Cymru calls for the health board to be broken up and accused the opposition parties of "running down the service and the people working in that service who are on their knees, who are in tears".

In response, Mr ap Iorwerth said: "We have a Welsh health minister telling us 'don't talk down the NHS in the north of Wales, you're doing a disservice to the health service'.

"Well, how dare she, frankly, tell us that when it's the staff, as well as the patients of course, who are telling us 'we've had enough, we just want to have a well-managed health board'.

"You get to the point where you don't think perhaps that's even possible with the sheer size of Betsi."

He added: "The government's right, of course, that a reorganisation is a big and complicated process.

"I'm starting though from the point of wanting a better health service and when we have scandal after scandal, report after damning report, you get to the point of thinking... it might not be possible with the current set-up in the north of Wales."

On Sunday, a Welsh Government spokesman said: "Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is currently in Targeted Intervention for a number of areas including leadership.

"The failings of care identified by the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and the Royal College of Surgeons are not acceptable.

"We expect the health board to make necessary improvements and will continue to provide support throughout this process."

Director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales Helen Whyley said of the 1,700 nursing vacancies in Wales "about 640" are in the north.

She told Politics Wales: "These figures are telling a story - they've been telling it for quite some time but we have to move urgently to address the retention and gaps.

"You can recruit as many people as you like but if you don't create the culture and the terms and conditions that people want to work in they're not going to stay with you.

"We have a significant number of nurses retiring.

"We have a significant number of nurses who don't want to work full-time...so, we have to focus on retention."