Betsi Cadwaladr: Senedd rebuffs call for public inquiry into beleaguered health board

Senedd members rejected calls for a public inquiry ahead of the ten-year anniversary of ministers placing Betsi Cadwaladr university health board into special measures.

Gareth Davies led a Conservative debate calling for a public inquiry, with Sunday marking the unwelcome milestone of a decade in special measures for the north Wales health board.

Mr Davies, who worked for the NHS before his election in 2021, warned the health board remains mired in systemic failure, “with no clear timeline for recovery”.

He said: “A decade on, the Welsh Government has acknowledged that Betsi could languish in this state indefinitely. This is not just a failure of management, it’s a failure of accountability, leadership and political will under Labour’s stewardship.”

The Vale of Clwyd Senedd member argued a public inquiry is needed to uncover the root causes of the prolonged crisis and deliver justice for the people of north Wales.

‘Dire realities’

“The evidence is damning,” he said. “When combined, Betsi has spent longer in special measures than any other organisation in the history of the NHS.

“Political expediency saw the Welsh Government prematurely lift Betsi out of special measures – only for dire realities, safety breaches, patient harm and operational chaos to force its reinstatement back in 2023.”

Mr Davies told the Senedd only two people were waiting longer than two years for treatment in June 2015, compared with 5,747 today – “a staggering 287,250% increase”.

The north Walian said: “Patients in north Wales are 1,460 times more likely to face such delays than in England; a quarter of all NHS waiting lists in Wales… fall under Betsi’s jurisdiction despite it serving just a fraction of the population – the human cost is alarming.”

He told the chamber that a 2024 Audit Wales report on Betsi painted a grim picture of ongoing leadership instability and a lack of coherent, long-term planning.

‘Chronic failure’

Mabon ap Gwynfor, for Plaid Cymru, denounced a long story of “chronic failure, executive dysfunction and organisational chaos that has bedevilled the north Wales health board”.

He pointed out that Betsi, which was established in 2009 with the merger of six local health boards, has been in special measures for two-thirds of its existence.

Mr ap Gwynfor said: “What the residents of north Wales are really crying out for is an end to the excuse making and the buck passing, and some tangible evidence of progress.”

He sympathised with calls for a public inquiry but argued it would not be the best course of action at this stage due to practical considerations.

He criticised the “shameful” decision and “political opportunism” from ministers who lifted the health board out of special measures in late 2020, with a Senedd election on the horizon.

‘Afterthought’

Mark Isherwood pointed out that Betsi was established under the “One Wales” government – a coalition between Labour and Plaid Cymru from 2007 to 2011.

Mr Isherwood, who chairs the public accounts committee, warned that independent board members who “battled to see the organisation learn from past failings have been replaced”.

The Conservative, who spent new year’s eve as a patient at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, said: “Staff were brilliant but the system was clearly breaking. When I told a cardiologist it must be worse because it was new year’s eve, he said ‘no, this is not exceptional’.

“The waiting room screen said two-and-a-half hours to treatment but the triage told me to ignore that as it would be at least eight. I spent the night on a trolley in the majors ward and had to ask for a blanket at 3am.”

His Tory colleague Sam Rowlands, who also represents North Wales, warned patients have experienced a decade of decline, despair and despondency despite the best efforts of staff. “North Wales is far too often an afterthought for the Labour party,” he claimed.

‘Ambitious plans’

Labour’s Carolyn Thomas and Lesley Griffiths argued Wales needs to start celebrating what is good about our health service, with many people receiving fantastic treatment.

“I refuse to talk down our wonderful NHS,” said Ms Thomas. “If politicians continue to talk down the health board it will continue to struggle to recruit people: the NHS is its staff.”

Responding to the debate on June 4, Wales’ health secretary Jeremy Miles told the Senedd the health board is making sustainable improvement for better health outcomes.

He raised “significant improvements” in leadership, quality and safety in the past two years.

But Mr Miles acknowledged: “We must see urgent improvements if we are to meet our ambitious plans to continue to cut waiting times for people this year.”

Senedd members rejected the Tory motion, 33-13, with Labour and Plaid Cymru voting against. The Welsh Government’s amended version was agreed, 24-23.

By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter