Call to put Betsi Cadwaladr health board back in special measures

Betsi Cadwaladr health board should go back into "reformed" special measures after a string of recent failures, the Conservatives have said.

Ysbyty Glan Clwyd's vascular services and emergency care went into "targeted intervention", on Tuesday.

Tory North Wales MS Sam Rowlands said taking Betsi out of special measures in late 2020 was "politically motivated".

Labour MS Ken Skates said ministers should have an open mind to ideas such as reorganising the health board.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan told the Senedd she had decided that special measures, direct Welsh government control, "at this time is not appropriate".

Betsi Cadwaldr was in special measures from the summer of 2015 until November 2020.

It followed financial difficulties, management failings, growing waiting lists and a damning report into the Tawel Fan mental health unit.

After 1,996 days, Betsi Cadwaladr was judged to have made enough improvements and was brought out of the highest level of government intervention.

In a Conservative Welsh Parliament debate on the health board on Wednesday, Mr Rowlands said it was clear that doing so had been "the wrong decision, and just months before the Senedd election it was certainly a political one".

He said told Ms Morgan it was "time to reverse the politically motivated decision" taken by her predecessor, Vaughan Gething.

The Conservatives called for a "reformed special measures regime" for the health board to give it the leadership and resources to address its failings and provide high-quality health care.

The Tories also backed Plaid Cymru's suggestion there should be an independent review to consider replacing the health board with new structures.

Plaid health spokesman Rhun ap Iorwerth told the Welsh Parliament special measures had been tried by the Welsh government but had failed.

"It is trying a few targeted interventions and, as I said yesterday, I hope they can make a difference but let's at least look for an alternative.

"We owe it to the people of the north of Wales to have that conversation on how we could bring healthcare back closer to the people."

Ken Skates, Labour MS for Clwyd South, said both Tory calls for a different set of special measures and Plaid calls for reorganisation were "worthy of further investigation" and an "open minded response from government".

He called for a "truth review" into the special measures process as a way of making improvement, and an independent assessment of the impact of reorganisation.

"Let's have our eyes open to the likely short term consequences before examining the long term possible benefits of reorganisation," he said.

He also called for a "people's panel" in the north to look at solutions, and told ministers "we can't be back here in six or 12 months having the same debate".

"I implore the minister to consider all constructive suggestions," he said.

Responding to the debate, Eluned Morgan said she had decided "special measures at this time is not appropriate".

"This is because the board and the chief executive have highlighted their determination to make progress and have committed to addressing our concerns and have already started to do so," she said.

"I'm also mindful of the impact that the special measures status previously had on the health board's ability to recruit and retain staff.

But Ms Morgan said that if there were not improvements special measures were "still on the table as an option".