Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board special measures progress report highlights ongoing challenges

The Welsh Government has released a detailed progress report on Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), reviewing its developments under special measures between April and June 2024.

This follows the health board’s escalation to special measures in February 2023 due to serious concerns surrounding governance, patient safety, and service delivery.

Health Secretary Mark Drakeford MS outlined the health board’s recent advancements, highlighting the establishment of a new special measures framework in May 2024.

This framework sets clear priorities and milestones for the next phase of intervention, focusing on governance, clinical outcomes, and patient safety.

While the report points to some promising improvements, such as reductions in waiting times and better performance in mental health services, challenges remain.

Cancer treatment performance continues to fluctuate, and urgent and emergency care services remain a significant area for improvement.

“There is still a lot of work to do,” the former first minister acknowledged, “but there are encouraging signs of improvement for people living in North Wales.”

In response, Shadow Health Minister Sam Rowlands MS criticised the pace of progress.

“There’s still no light at the end of the tunnel in terms of a target date for taking the health board out of special measures, and the people of North Wales are still being let down,” he said, calling for stronger leadership and more immediate action.

Governance reforms at BCUHB are a key focus, with the board having appointed a full complement of independent members, alongside a new Executive Director of Governance in April.

However, trust remains fragile, with concerns about the board’s ability to deliver sustainable, long-term change.

The health board has made strides in reducing waiting times for patients, particularly in orthopaedics, where a 48% reduction in pathways exceeding 104 weeks has been noted. However, performance in critical areas like urology and dermatology continues to lag behind.

Mental health services have seen some improvement, with 79.6% of assessments for under-18s completed within 28 days, compared to 57.8% in February 2023. Nonetheless, overall performance remains below the 80% target.

Darren Millar, Shadow Minister for North Wales, voiced scepticism about the Welsh Government’s oversight.

“No matter how much wool the Welsh Government tries to pull over our eyes about Betsi making progress, our patient experiences, and those of our loved ones, tell us otherwise,” he said.

The health secretary said in his statement: “The Welsh Government will continue to work with the health board through our oversight and assurance arrangements to ensure the required improvements related to outcomes, performance, clinical fragile services and quality and safety are accelerated, and that the necessary systems and structures are in place to ensure these improvements are sustainable.”

“There is still a lot of work to do, but there are encouraging signs of improvement for people living in North Wales.  We will continue to update Members as the work progresses.”