Betsi Cadwaladr: Mark Drakeford denies misleading Senedd

Mark Drakeford has denied he misled the Senedd over comments about north Wales' Betsi Cadwaladr health board.

Plaid criticised the first minister for telling the Senedd the auditor general had advised the NHS body should leave special measures in 2020.

Auditor General Adrian Crompton has said no such advice was given by him or his staff to do so.

But the first minister said the process "does start" with the public spending watchdog.

Plaid Cymru accused Mr Drakeford of being patronising.

The decision to take the health board out of special measures was criticised as premature by opposition parties in 2020.

It returned to special measures last February after a series of crises, and a damning report on its leadership.

In the Senedd in February Mr Drakeford said: "The decision, and it is a decision of ministers, to take the board out of special measures was because we were advised that that is what we should do by the auditor general, by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and by Welsh government officials whose job it is to provide ministers with the advice."

This week Plaid Cymru accused Mr Drakeford of misleading the Senedd after receiving a letter from Mr Crompton.

"I certainly have not misled the Senedd," Mr Drakeford told BBC Wales.

He said the process on special measures was a "complicated system for those who are not used to it".

"It begins with the auditor general, the civil service and Health Inspectorate Wales coming together to discuss whether or not an organisation needs to have any extra intervention.

"Separately, civil servants then advise ministers and the third step in this chain is ministers decide."

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales has said in a statement that it does "not directly advise on any escalation status" - the process used to decide if a health board should be in special measures.

But it said evidence provided to the tripartite group that HIW takes part in "informs any subsequent advice that Welsh government officials provide to the minister on the escalation status of an NHS body".

Mr Drakeford said he had "never" implied that the health inspectorate had given advice to take health boards in and out of special measures.

He said the inspectorate "and the auditor general do not directly advise ministers, but the process does start with them".

He said he intends to write to the Llywydd, the Senedd's presiding officer, "setting this process out for people so nobody need to be confused in future."

Plaid Cymru's health spokesman, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said: "Unfortunately, it has become normal practice for the first minister to try to patronise his way out of a difficult situation.

"Well, he can try to patronise as much as he likes, but he misled the Senedd, and appears happy to continue to do so. I don't think people will buy it.

"This is about the decision to take a health board out of special measures, which we now know was the wrong decision."