Suspension of Betsi Cadwaladr waiting time data amid review into accuracy
Referral-to-treatment (RTT) waiting time data for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has been suspended while an external investigation takes place into the quality and governance of its reporting.
Jeremy Miles MS, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, announced the decision following discussions with the Welsh Government’s Chief Statistician.
Concerns were raised about anomalies in the board’s reported waiting list size and inconsistencies with operational activity levels.
Mr Miles said the action was “necessary due to concerns about the accuracy of RTT data submitted by the health board in recent months” and stressed that the review “is about the quality and management of data, not about the quality of patient care nor about how long people are waiting for care in North Wales”.
The investigation will focus on planned care data only and exclude cancer, diagnostics, therapies and emergency care, where no inconsistencies have been identified.
The review will be led by experts from Digital Health and Care Wales, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement, the Chief Statistician’s team, and a peer representative from another Welsh health board.
It will examine data collection, quality assurance and reporting processes, and make recommendations to strengthen governance.
The Chief Statistician has decided national RTT statistics will continue to be published, but without Betsi Cadwaladr’s data until the review is complete. The Office for Statistics Regulation has been informed.
The health board has been in level 5 special measures since February 2023, following earlier periods of intervention between 2015 and 2020. A Welsh Government report in October noted improvements in governance and leadership but said performance issues persisted, posing risks to patient safety and public confidence.
Betsi Cadwaladr serves more than 700,000 people across North Wales and employs more than 19,000 staff. Earlier this year, a national report found it had the largest proportion of long waits in Wales.
Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for health and social care, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, said: “This is incredibly damning and tells us everything we need to know about Labour’s failure to bring order to Betsi Cadwaladr – we need an investigation to get to the root of the issue. Not only do the delays themselves raise serious questions about the health board and its ability to ensure timely and transparent data, the fact there are questions around the accuracy of the data also raises questions about the Labour Welsh Government’s leadership who have failed to solve the issues facing Betsi for several years. We must now also question the impact of this on the Wales-wide waiting list figures.
“It’s clear that the government’s interventions haven’t had any impact. They must ensure accountability for failing to meet the requirements of reaching appropriate standards for the benefit of patients in north Wales. Not only does there need to be an investigation into the quality and governance arrangements of the health board’s data, but into all health data sources to declare whether they are fit for purpose.
“It’s about time for strong political leadership which demands accountability. Labour have allowed these chronic failures to develop – they simply cannot get to grips with the situation. Only Plaid Cymru offers new leadership for Wales with a clear vision for our national health service.”
Welsh Conservative Leader and Clwyd West MS Darren Millar said: “The situation in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is totally unacceptable. We need urgent action and an independent inquiry to restore public confidence and turn things around.
“Just last week we learned that a ‘team of experts’ was being appointed because senior leaders are failing to turn things around, and today we find that there are serious questions over the quality of waiting time data.
“Special measures is supposed to improve things, yet performance is worse now than it was 10 years ago when they were first instigated.
“The people of North Wales have been let down for far too long — they have a right to know how the health board compares to elsewhere in the country, and why we have to wait so much longer than elsewhere for the treatment we need.
“We have zero confidence in the Welsh Labour Government being able to fix things. It is time the Cabinet Secretary admitted this.
“There has been one scandal after another with regards the NHS in North Wales. It is time for honesty and transparency to prevent yet more unnecessary deaths, and more patients coming to harm.”
Check live fuel prices near you before you set off.
Spotted something? Got a story? Email news (@) deeside.com
NEW: Add Deeside.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Latest News
