Betsi Cadwaladr: Health minister's actions 'tantamount to bullying'

An ex-independent member forced to resign from a health board described the actions of Health Minister Eluned Morgan as "tantamount to bullying".

Richard Micklewright said he and his fellow independent members at Betsi Cadwaladr health board (BCUHB) were treated as "expendables to be used, abused and discarded at her whim".

At the time, Eluned Morgan she had to address the health board's performance.

BCUHB said it could not comment "on the status of any employees at this stage".

Meanwhile the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has said he was "deeply worried" following stories about the health board, and allegations made by a leaked finance report should be "investigated properly".

A Conservative MP told the Commons the report "revealed serious misconduct on the part of several senior board executives, including a conspiracy to falsify accounts".

Welsh Health Minister Eluned Morgan told the Senedd on Wednesday that people named in the report by EY have been suspended.

Speaking for the first time to Wales Live since the 11 independent members were made to quit. Mr Micklewright said it was "tantamount to bullying" and had come out of the blue.

"There'd been no communication from her or her officials to indicate there was dissatisfaction in what we were doing. We just felt that we had been completely let down and treated badly.

"We had no options about what we were going to do. We were just dismissed.

"It was an extremely difficult, traumatic experience."

As a former vice chair of Betsi Cadwaladr's audit committee he believes "there needs to be a criminal investigation" into financial matters at the health board.

A leaked report by accountancy firm Ernst and Young (EY), alleged finance officials made deliberately wrong entries in accounts.

The report said Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, which serves north Wales, wrongly accounted for millions of pounds.

It alleged EY's work was "hindered" by the alteration of a document and the deletion of a recording of a meeting.

NHS Counter Fraud Wales, which is part of an NHS Wales organisation, concluded in April that no further action was needed.

But Mr Micklewright said that he and his former colleagues believe that "crimes have occurred, and they need to be dealt with".

"The Ernst and Young report found quite serious examples of actual criminality.

"They found false accounting, which is a crime.

"They found misconduct in public office, which is a crime.

"And it was suggested by the counter fraud people possibly also conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, which is a much more serious crime," he said.

On Wednesday, at Prime Minister's Questions, Conservative MP David Jones told the Commons the EY report "revealed serious misconduct on the part of several senior board executives, including a conspiracy to falsify accounts".

Rishi Sunak replied: "I am deeply worried about the Betsi Cadwaladr hospital in labour run north Wales. It has been, as he said, in special measures for six of the last eight years and, as he remarked, the official audit said there was worrying dysfunctionality.

"I do hope this issue is investigated properly, and I believe my honourable friend is in contract with the secretary of state for Wales to take this further."

In the Senedd Conservative politician Darren Millar said the report had wider implications for the Welsh NHS.

He said its findings "include false accounts and the manipulation of documents, which amounts to fraud".

"These were done in the knowledge of senior members of staff at the health board."

"The junior staff who pushed back against these appalling practices were overruled by their superiors.

"There were deliberate efforts to hide those actions from Audit Wales and Forensic investigators from Ernst and Young. It absolutely stinks.

"The report still isn't the public domain. It should be published."

Eluned Morgan, health minister, told the Senedd the report "did make extremely sobering reading, which absolutely needs to be acted upon".

"As has been said in this chamber on a number of occasions this is not our report, so I can't ask for it to be published."

She said "key individuals named in the report have been suspended. Clearly they have legal employment rights. The key thing for me is that we've got to follow the right process".

She added that she had asked a senior civil servant to see if there were broader implications for the Welsh government.

North Wales Police have said they are looking into the claims in the EY report.

Det Ch Supt Gareth Evans said: "We are aware of media reports regarding financial matters at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and have also had concerns raised with us by individuals.

"We are liaising with colleagues in other agencies regarding enquiries already undertaken in order to make an assessment and will issue an update in due course."

A Welsh government spokesperson said: "We do not comment on leaked documents, particularly when, as in this case, internal procedures are still proceeding at the Health Board."

They did not want to comment on the specific allegations but said that independent board members were offered counselling at the time.

The 11 former independent members of the board have questioned the focus on them after a damning audit report called the executive team dysfunctional.

Executives are responsible for the day-to-day operation of health services while independent board members are there to scrutinise the executives' decisions.

The executives are still in their place and Richard Micklewright believes that "something does need to be done about the executive".

"The minister was quite clear that she didn't have the ability to deal with the executives, which is true up to a point. She doesn't have the power to hire and fire so she couldn't fire the executive directors.

"She did however, have the ability to take them off the board so they could be removed from the position where they were making decisions that were detrimental to Betsi going forward."

An accountant, who has worked for a number of other public sector organisations, Mr Micklewright said that he had never been treated like this before "it was something that I've never experienced before and my colleagues haven't either".

He also accused the health minister of a lack of duty of care, saying some of the other members were "suffering from stress and upset" but there had been "nothing from Eluned Morgan's team to indicate any awareness of that or any concern for us after the event".

"Somebody needs to take responsibility and I can only see two people in the frame potentially - Mark Drakeford and Eluned Morgan," he said.

A spokesperson for BCUHB said: "The management of the issues raised in the EY report is progressing in line with existing procedures and policies.

"This follows the conclusion of the NHS Counter Fraud Wales investigation connected to the Auditor General's qualified opinion of the Health Board's 2021-22 financial accounts.

"It is inappropriate to comment on the status of any employees at this stage.

"We currently have six independent board members in place, alongside two associate independent members. Two further independent board members are in the process of being appointed and these will be announced in due course."