Welsh Government takes more direct role at Betsi Cadwaladr after health board’s own ‘failed’ efforts
Welsh Government is taking a more direct role in driving improvement at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), saying the health board’s own efforts to lead its recovery have not delivered the change required.
BCUHB, which covers all of north Wales including Flintshire and Deeside, has been in a heightened state of escalation for 11 years and at Level 5, the most serious level, since February 2023.
An independent expert panel will now review patient safety, leadership, governance, organisational culture and board capability, with a final report expected by the end of October.
Previous arrangements had relied on the health board identifying and leading its own recovery with external support alongside it.
Welsh Government said that approach has not delivered the pace or scale of change required.
The emergency department at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd has recently been redesignated as a service requiring significant improvement by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, its highest level of concern, less than two years after previously being removed from that status.
NHS Wales Performance and Improvement has been tasked with supporting BCUHB in planned care, diagnostics and cancer services, and will also support the development of an urgent and emergency care improvement team led by a senior expert.
Cabinet Minister for Health and Care Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “People in north Wales are waiting too long to be able to access the care and treatment they need.
“This is not a reality the public should be asked to accept, and it is not one this Government will accept either.
“This is the Board’s final chance to demonstrate they can deliver the consistent high standards of care that the people of north Wales deserve.”
The minister said the intervention marked a departure from what he described as failed approaches of the past.
Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “This new plan represents a clear departure from the failed approaches of the past.
“We are not simply asking the organisation to improve; we are directing them on how that improvement happens.
“That means setting clear expectations, providing targeted expertise, and maintaining close and continuous oversight of delivery.
“It is a clear statement of my commitment to supporting improvement and ensuring the people of north Wales receive the safe, high-quality and timely care they deserve.”
A full ‘stocktake’ of BCUHB’s current position will also be carried out, covering operational challenges, quality of care and strategic direction.’
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